Arne Slot has been told when he could be sacked by Liverpool if results and performances do not improve, while Andoni Iraola is reportedly keen on two moves in particular after opting to leave Bournemouth.
Slot is understood to have enough credit in the bank to keep his job as Liverpool head coach this summer, having guided the club to the Premier League title during his first year in charge last season. However, patience is very evidently wearing thin among the fanbase.
Supporters have been left baffled by the team’s decline, as they dropped to fifth place, finishing just inside the Champions League qualification spots.
Liverpool lost 12 times in the Premier League alone and conceded 78 goals across all competitions.
Fans are frustrated the club decided to stick with Slot instead of moving for new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso, and Iraola could be the next exciting coach they miss out on.
Former midfielder Jamie Redknapp has told the Mirror that Slot will likely be axed in the early months of next season if Liverpool’s serious issues resurface.
“Liverpool fans, in terms of a fan base, understand the game [really well], for me there’s no one better and I totally get their frustration with the football this year that’s been served up,” Redknapp said.
“It hasn’t been good enough, been too slow, pedestrian, but I would also say there’s a lot of mitigating circumstances.
“Liverpool won [the Premier League] a year after [Jurgen Klopp left] and when people say, ‘Well, Slot won it with Klopp’s team’, but Klopp didn’t win it with that team. So that’s a little bit unfair.
“I think you’ve just got to trust the club, because Arne will need a little bit of help next year, because if Liverpool don’t start well, he knows the price on the ticket, the pressure will come on him very early, because of what’s happened this season. And Arne knows that, but I think my feeling is he deserves a bit more respect.”
But Liverpool are highly unlikely to be able to call on Iraola as an option if they wait until next season to sack Slot.
The 43-year-old is coveted by several top clubs after steering Bournemouth to European qualification for the first time in their history.
According to Sky Sports, Iraola would ideally like to secure a ‘bigger’ move than Crystal Palace, with Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen his favoured destinations.
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Iraola prefers Liverpool, Leverkusen to Milan or Palace
AC Milan have made contact for Iraola after sacking Max Allegri, but he has ‘reservations’ about such a move given the current turmoil at the Italian giants.
While Iraola would love to manage Liverpool, that deal appears unlikely due to Fenway Sports Group’s surprisingly strong commitment to Slot.
As such, our transfer insider Graeme Bailey has reported that Leverkusen and Palace appear Iraola’s most likely destinations.
One player Slot will have to operate without next season is Ibrahima Konate, as talks over a new contract have collapsed.
The defender is ‘likely’ to secure a career upgrade when leaving Anfield.