Arne Slot's Future at Liverpool Under Scrutiny
Arne Slot walked into Anfield and won the Premier League in his first season. Less than a year later, his future is being dissected as if he were a caretaker rather than a champion.
Liverpool’s Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain – 4-0 on aggregate and brutally conclusive – has stripped this campaign of any remaining gloss. Out of Europe, out of both domestic cups, and now clinging to fifth in the Premier League, four points ahead of Chelsea with the Blues still to visit Anfield and daunting trips to Everton, Manchester United and Aston Villa to come. This is not how a title defence was supposed to look.
Slot under scrutiny, FSG stand firm
The noise around Slot has inevitably grown. A season without silverware at Liverpool always does that, never mind one ending with such a whimper. Yet behind the scenes, the message is calm. David Ornstein reports that FSG intend to stick with the Dutchman regardless of how the final weeks unfold.
That stance will be tested if the slide continues. Performances have dipped, results have followed, and the injury to Hugo Ekitike has only darkened the mood. The France striker’s ruptured Achilles rules him out for the rest of this season and a significant chunk of the next, robbing Slot of a key attacking option just as he needs every weapon available.
If the dam eventually bursts and Slot pays the price, the names waiting in the background are as emotive as they come: Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard. Two former midfield generals, two fan favourites, two men whose faces still adorn the scarves and murals around Anfield.
Pennant backs Alonso – and hints at a clear-out
Jermaine Pennant knows both of them. He shared a dressing room with Alonso and Gerrard during his three years at Liverpool, and he believes Slot will be given time. But if the club do change course, his choice is clear.
Pennant told SPORTbible, on behalf of RightBet, that Alonso would be the man to go for. The logic is simple: he understands the club, he understands the fans, and he has just delivered a title-winning masterclass at Bayer Leverkusen.
And in Pennant’s eyes, Alonso wouldn’t come to simply inherit the current squad. He’d reshape it.
If Alonso walked through the door, Pennant believes Cody Gakpo would be vulnerable, and even Alexis Mac Allister could be moved on if a strong offer arrived. Not because of a lack of talent, but because of profile and energy. Alonso, he argues, would demand legs in midfield, relentless running, dynamism. Gakpo, who has struggled to convince large sections of the fanbase and has not consistently hit top form, would be high on the list of potential departures. Mac Allister, despite his quality, might also be sacrificed if the right fee landed and a different type of midfielder became available.
Curtis Jones’ name enters the conversation too. Pennant admits there could be a debate over his role, but notes the advantage of being a local lad – a player who understands the fabric of the club and offers something intangible to the squad dynamic.
No hiding place for Slot
The uncertainty does not stop with the dugout. Chief executive Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes are both heading into the final year of their contracts. It is a rare moment of flux in Liverpool’s off-field structure, one that would normally set alarm bells ringing.
Pennant, though, expects Slot to be the one who lasts longest. He believes the board will look at the context – the departure of key players, the emotional shock of Diogo Jota’s passing, a raft of injuries – and decide the manager deserves a clean run with a fully fit squad next season. Edwards, he suggests, is more likely to move on.
That sympathy does not extend to Slot’s explanations. The Dutchman has repeatedly pointed to “so many decisions” going against Liverpool this season, but Pennant has little patience for that line of defence. In his view, every team in the league can point to VAR calls, tight offsides, debatable penalties, red cards and injuries. Liverpool’s problems run deeper than officiating.
He sees this as a collective failure, starting at the top. The money spent, the collapse in standards from last season to this, the meek title defence – all of it paints an ugly picture. The manager, Pennant insists, must carry a significant share of the blame: the style of play, the tactical approach, the selection of personnel. That is his remit. That is his responsibility.
Players do not escape either. Pennant highlights the stark contrast in performance levels from last year to this, calling it “night and day” for some. Too many have failed to step up, too many have drifted through key games when Liverpool needed leaders.
The conclusion is blunt. This is a group failure, but it starts with the man in the technical area. Slot has to rally the dressing room, pick the right players, find the right structure, and squeeze every last drop from a squad that has already shown it can reach the summit.
He did it once. The question now is whether Liverpool trust him to do it again – or whether the pull of Xabi Alonso, with his ideas, his energy, and his potential ruthlessness in reshaping the squad, becomes too strong to ignore.
