Arne Slot continues to feel his seat get hotter at Anfield after Liverpool were chucked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain
Andoni Iraola has been linked with the Liverpool job(Image: Getty)
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola reportedly believes he’d be of interest to Liverpool if Arne Slot were sacked. The Spanish manager has announced he will leave the Cherries at the end of this season.
Since his 2023 arrival in the Premier League, Iraola has been nothing short of a phenom. He guided Bournemouth, the club with the smallest capacity in the top flight, to a ninth-place finish last season and they are currently on a 12-game unbeaten run.
Not only has the 43-year-old achieved results on the pitch but he has also developed players at an alarmingly successful rate. Antoine Semenyo was nurtured into one of the league’s finest forwards by Iraola before his Manchester City transfer and Liverpool’s Milos Kerkez is another product of the manager’s efforts.
Iraola will step away from the club when this campaign ends and a new report suggests he feels he’d be in the running for the Reds job if Slot’s position becomes untenable.
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Despite winning the Premier League in his debut season, Dutch head coach Slot has found himself in the firing line of late. Liverpool are currently battling to even qualify for the Champions League.
Questions are being asked of Slot(Image: Getty)
In November, heavy defeats to the likes of Manchester City and Nottingham Forest saw Slot’s endure go on a dismal run of form not witnessed in several decades. They recorded nine losses in 12 games.
Despite a slight upturn, they are now out of all cup competitions. They were beaten 2-0 at home by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night and exited the Champions League 4-0 on aggregate.
Now, the i Paper reports that while Manchester United hold Iraola in high regard, the Spanish boss believes he would be a contender for the job at Liverpool if Slot were to be relieved of his duties.
Before the second leg against PSG, Slot was asked whether he felt the support of the club’s owners amid speculation surrounding his Anfield future. He said: “I’m repeating myself a lot but I feel a lot of support. Not only from the owners but from Richard [Hughes] and Michael [Edwards], a lot of support from them as well but as weird as it might sound I also feel the support from the fans.
“We were going out in Paris when the players went out for the warm-up and after the 4-0 loss [against Manchester City] the fans immediately started singing, ‘We love Liverpool’.
Ousmane Dembele’s two goals sealed Liverpool’s Champions League exit(Image: Getty)
“I think it’s fair to say we were outplayed for 90 minutes and they were still singing and clapping for us. I’ve said many times, the club knows the period of time we’re in and in the meantime I feel complete support.”
Up next for Slot’s Reds is what seems like a must-win Merseyside derby clash against Everton on enemy territory. This will be the first meeting between the two teams at the Toffees’ new home, Hill Dickinson Stadium.
After this, Liverpool face matches against Crystal Palace, who have already beaten them three times this season, and bitter rivals Manchester United.