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Liverpool have parted company with Arne Slot just a year after he won the Premier League title.
The Reds have made the decision with reluctance but an understanding that the title defence was a failure – and they need to rebuild again.
Slot lost 20 games this season and finished fifth, with fans revolting and several key players – such as the now-departed Mohamed Salah – speaking out about the playing style.
Salah recently harkened back to the days of ‘being the heavy metal attacking team’ that they were under Jurgen Klopp in a social media post, widely perceived as a dig at Slot.
Liverpool confirmed that the process to appoint a new boss is underway, adding: ‘He leaves with a Premier League title to his name and our deepest gratitude and appreciation.’
Andoni Iraola is the front-runner to take over. The former Bournemouth boss was brought to the Premier League by Richard Hughes, who has since moved to Liverpool as sporting director. Iraola, 43, has held talks with a number of clubs around the continent.
Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League this season, only just qualifying for the Champions League after a record-breaking £415million transfer spend in the summer.
That was despite breaking the British transfer record twice, first for Florian Wirtz in a £116.5million deal and then for Alexander Isak at a £125m.
But Isak spent large swathes of the season injured and Wirtz struggled to settle despite his sparkling reputation arriving from Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool were also unable to replicate their Champions League glory achieved under Klopp, crashing out to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and quarter-finals under Slot.
In mitigation, it was always going to be difficult to emulate Klopp, one of the totemic figures in Liverpool’s history.
Many fans had seen Xabi Alonso as the dream successor but after his move to Chelsea, Iraola is seen among the frontrunners following his departure from Bournemouth.
Iraola led Bournemouth into the Europa League and sets up his teams with an attractive style but has never managed a club of Liverpool’s ilk after stints at Larnaca, Mirandes, and Rayo Vallecano.
More to follow.
