Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he is ‘shocked’ by the sacking of Arne Slot after the Reds opted to part ways with the manager that won them the Premier League just a year ago.
With it looking like the Reds would opt to stick with the Dutchman on the back of a more-than-disappointing season, they opted to pull the trigger on Saturday and are now on the hunt for their latest boss.
Slot had been tasked with succeeding Jurgen Klopp, and slotted into the role seamlessly as he claimed Liverpool’s 20th league title last year. This term, though, things went south and they qualified for the Champions League by the skin of their teeth.
‘Gutted for Arne Slot because in his first year, he had done an incredible job,’ Gerrard, who played for Liverpool from a boy until his mid-30s, said on TNT Sports. ‘Taking the reins from Jurgen Klopp, that was a tough task and big shoes to fill, and he had done it seamlessly.
‘It’s very difficult to win the Premier League, and I know that more than most, so for him to deliver that in year one cannot be forgotten, so I think he will go down in the history books and be remembered forever.
‘Having said that, in the last ten games of last season and the majority of this season, we have not looked like Liverpool. The style, it has been difficult to watch at times. It looks disjointed, broken, and when I got the news, of course, your initial reaction is surprise and shock, but when you analyse it properly, it’s probably the right time in my opinion.’
Steven Gerrard (left) has admitted he is ‘shocked’ after Arne Slot (right) was sacked by Liverpool on Saturday
Andoni Iraola is the clear front-runner to succeed Slot, having left Bournemouth at the end of the season after taking them to the Europa League.
The Spaniard is understood to have hoped Liverpool would make an approach if they opted to move on from Slot, and talks are expected to take place in the near future.
‘I think we’ve all been around the game long enough to know how the process works,’ Gerrard continued. ‘I would be very surprised if they made that decision and all of a sudden thought ‘well, who are we going to appoint next?’
‘Liverpool don’t work like that. Liverpool are an organised machine, up top, they have been for a long time.
‘I think he has done a fabulous job at Bournemouth. I think his style would suit Liverpool. Let’s not beat around the bush, Liverpool Football Club is an attractive job for a lot of elite managers around the world, so I don’t think he will be the only name on the table.
‘But because of the link to Bournemouth and the guys that have come from Bournemouth to Liverpool in terms of board level, they will know him very well. But then there are other names out there as well that I am sure would want that Liverpool job.
‘It’s a huge job in world football. I think he should be in the conversation, yes.’
Gerrard himself had been tipped to one day manage Liverpool and had looked to be on his way to achieving that one day after success in the Reds academy and with Rangers in Scotland.
Gerrard has also refused to rule out a return to management having struggled at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq
He made the leap to the Premier League with Aston Villa, though, and struggled, before a time to forget with Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia too.
The former midfielder has made a name for himself as a popular pundit since, with his future in management unclear.
‘Who knows? You never shut a door,’ he said when questioned on if he will return. ‘I’m enjoying work-life balance. Coaching it, tough, it’s challenging, I’ve had some real big opportunities, I’ve enjoyed a lot of it.
‘But, at the moment, I’m enjoying family time, TNT, travel, and I’m really happy at the moment.
‘I’m getting lots of times with my kids, which I’ve missed while I’ve been coaching. So, at the moment, maybe.’
