FSG have evidently harboured doubts about Arne Slot since the Dutchman won the Premier League title with Liverpool last term.
As David Lynch rightly pointed out, the club’s owners opted not to reward Arne Slot with a new contract after our exploits in 2024/25.
The club has since decided to part ways with the Dutchman, with Andoni Iraola believed to be a frontrunner for the role.
It’s worth pointing out that Liverpool didn’t suddenly look a shadow of their former selves. There had been concerns over a relative drop-off in performance levels ever since our Champions League exit at the hands of PSG last term (as Lynch later points out).
But it’s indeed rather telling that we kept our powder dry on a new contract even after such a tremendous achievement.
“The most obvious indication that the Liverpool hierarchy were not entirely sold on Arne Slot came in the immediate aftermath of last season’s Premier League title win,” the Liverpool reporter wrote in his personal Substack column.
“Fenway Sports Group had previously shown what it looked like when they possessed full faith in their manager, handing Jurgen Klopp an improved six-year contract less than 10 months after his appointment despite silverware having still to be secured.
“Yet Slot, who had just delivered a long-awaited league title that could be celebrated in front of supporters, was – rather tellingly – allowed to go into the second year of a three-year deal after giving Anfield one of its most memorable days.”
It would seem like the plan was to give the manager time and potentially reopen contract talks in 2025/26, provided Liverpool were showing signs of significant improvement.
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With us just about managing to limp over the line and secure Champions League football via a technicality, however, it would appear that such suspicions were ultimately proven correct.
It would be remiss of us to pretend that Liverpool’s shocking collapse this term was exclusively down to the manager’s performance.
Don’t get us wrong, Slot most certainly didn’t help himself with his own decision-making. The rigid insistence on relying on Cody Gakpo when the more direct, aggressive option in Rio Ngumoha was readily available all season has to raise a few eyebrows. Likewise, isolating Mo Salah on the right wing when he could no longer rely on his old pace was mind-boggling.
But we’re also talking about a manager who wasn’t given the tools to have a fair crack at following up on a title-winning season.
I have one question to put to Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards: Where the hell were the wingers? Why on earth would you sanction the sale of Luis Diaz without reinforcing the left flank? Why were we all gaslit into believing that Ngumoha would enjoy more minutes this season and that a new signing would block his pathway? Why didn’t we pursue a proper No.6 if the plan was to push Ryan Gravenberch higher up the pitch?
There’s some collective responsibility to be taken here, yet both Hughes and Edwards have remained eerily silent, even after signing off on the decision to sack Arne Slot.
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The biggest question at the football club now is how can you still have faith in people who brought slot to the football club. These people will be picking the next Liverpool manager.
It’s like Jamie Redknapp who has recently as the brentford game said Liverpool must stick with slot. Now Redknapp is saying Iraola is the right manager for Liverpool.
All the genuine Liverpool supporters who had the guts to say slot wasn’t the right manager Liverpool , months ago, before last December, have been fully vindicated.
Only the clueless couldn’t see the inevitable. It’s poor ownership from FSG, slot is the fall guy, who takes all the blame , while others remain. Hidden away from all criticism.
Edwards and Richard Hughes need to be sacked. It’s more failure from FSG if they are not.
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