Arne Slot has admitted that Liverpool’s summer plans will be affected by Champions League qualification, adding extra significance to Sunday’s final Premier League game against Brentford.
The Reds are still in a strong position to secure a place in Europe’s elite competition, but the fact that it hasn’t been confirmed before the final day tells its own story about how badly this season has faded.
Speaking at his pre-Brentford press conference at the AXA Training Centre, via Liverpool FC on YouTube, Slot was asked whether Champions League qualification would have an impact on what Liverpool can do this summer.
The Dutchman said: “Qualification for the Champions League has impact at this club on our plans. That is definitely true.”
It’s a blunt admission from the 47-year-old, and it underlines why Sunday can’t simply be treated as a farewell occasion for Mo Salah and Andy Robertson, even if both players deserve a proper Anfield send-off.
Liverpool sit fifth on 59 points, three clear of Bournemouth with a six-goal advantage on goal difference, so it would take a remarkable final-day collapse for us to miss out from here.
Still, after a campaign in which we’ve fallen well short of Arsenal and Manchester City, it’s frustrating that something so important to the next phase of the club hasn’t already been wrapped up.
James Pearce has already stated that Liverpool’s position on Slot remains unchanged despite social media rumours, which suggests the former Feyenoord coach is still expected to lead the rebuild.
That makes this summer enormous for Richard Hughes, FSG and the manager, because backing Slot while also leaving him short would be the worst possible middle ground.
David Lynch has argued that if Liverpool stick with Slot, they can leave him no excuses, and that feels even more relevant after this latest Champions League admission.
We need more athleticism, more attacking depth, more defensive security and a squad built to handle the demands of Premier League and European football at the same time.
Slot may well be trusted to fix this, but Liverpool first have to finish the job against Brentford.
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