Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said he is “gutted” that Arne Slot has been sacked as head coach despite the team appearing “disjointed and broken” towards the end of the Dutchman’s two-year reign at Anfield.
The Reds confirmed the departure of Slot at lunchtime Saturday, six days on from recording a fifth-place finish in the Premier League. That may have been enough to ensure Champions League football next season but, with the criticism of Mohamed Salah still echoing following a string of bad performances, the club have decided to make a change.
Andoni Iraola, who has decided to leave Bournemouth, is the early frontrunner to take over, with Gerrard believing that the Basque coach could be an ideal fit on Merseyside.
“Not surprised, gutted for Arne Slot,” Gerrard told TNT Sports during their build-up to Saturday’s Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. “He did an incredible job, taking the reigns from Jurgen Klopp, it was a tough task and big shoes to fill, and I think he did it seamlessly.
“It’s very difficult to win the Premier League, I know that more than most, that can’t be forgotten. He’ll be remembered forever. Having said that, the last 10 games of last season and the majority of this season, we haven’t looked like Liverpool. It’s been difficult to watch at times. It looked disjointed and broken.
“When I got the news, it’s surprise and shock, but when you analyse it properly, it’s probably the right time.
“We’ve been around the game long enough to know how the process works. I’d be very surprised if they made that decision and thought, ‘Oh, what next?’ Liverpool don’t work like that, they are an organised machine.
“It’s the right time. The new guy will get a pre-season, the chance to recruit players – as a manager, it’s the best time to go in. Reset everyone. I’ll be extremely surprised if the people above Arne Slot have started, three or four hours ago, looking for a new successor.”
Pushed on whether he thinks Iraola, who guided Bournemouth to next season’s Europa League despite announcing his intent to leave the south coast club several months ago, Gerrard added: “I think potentially, yes [Iraola is the right man for Liverpool].
“He’s done a fabulous job at Bournemouth, his style would suit Liverpool, let’s not beat around the bush, Liverpool is an attractive job for managers around the world. But because of the link to Bournemouth, they will know him very well. It’s a huge job in world football, potentially, I think he should be in the conversation.”
