Liverpool have sacked Arne Slot with immediate effect, bringing an abrupt end to the Dutchman’s two-year spell at Anfield just 13 months after he guided the club to the Premier League title.
The decision was confirmed by Liverpool on 30 May, with the club stating that the process of appointing a successor was already under way. Slot leaves having delivered the club’s 20th league title in his first season, when Liverpool finished 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League and the former Feyenoord coach was named LMA Manager of the Year.
That success made the speed of his departure difficult to imagine at the beginning of the campaign. Slot also guided Liverpool to the Carabao Cup final and the last 16 of the Champions League during his debut season, establishing himself as a convincing successor to Jürgen Klopp after arriving from Feyenoord in June 2024.
However, Liverpool’s title defence unravelled badly. The Reds finished fifth with 60 points, their lowest Premier League total since the 2015/16 season, and ended the campaign 25 points behind champions Arsenal.
Liverpool still secured a place in next season’s Champions League and reached the quarter-finals of the competition this term. Those achievements were not enough to persuade the club’s hierarchy that Slot should oversee the next stage of the rebuild.
In a statement, Liverpool’s owners described the decision as difficult but said that “change is necessary” for the club to continue moving forward. They also stressed that Slot’s legacy remained intact because of the title success he delivered during his debut season.
A Title Defence That Never Recovered Its Momentum
Slot inherited one of the most difficult jobs in English football when he replaced Klopp. His first season could hardly have gone better. Liverpool adapted quickly to his methods, found a more controlled style without losing their attacking threat and reclaimed the league title.
The second season was a very different story. Liverpool struggled to rediscover the authority and consistency that had carried them to the championship. A campaign that began with the devastating death of Diogo Jota also became increasingly difficult on the pitch, with injuries, poor form and growing frustration inside Anfield all taking a toll.
The club had invested heavily in the squad during the summer, adding Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni. Expectations were therefore high, but Liverpool lost 19 matches in all competitions and were unable to sustain a serious title challenge.
Their performances also became a source of concern. The intensity and urgency associated with Liverpool at their best were often missing, while several displays drew boos from supporters. Mohamed Salah’s public criticism of the team’s style of play added to the sense that the relationship between Slot and key figures within the squad had become strained.
Liverpool’s owners praised Slot for the leadership, compassion and humanity he showed following Jota’s death. That period will form an important part of how his time at the club is remembered. However, the footballing decline was too significant for the hierarchy to ignore.
Iraola Emerges As The Leading Candidate
Liverpool are moving quickly towards the appointment of Andoni Iraola as Slot’s successor, with the former Bournemouth head coach firmly established as the club’s first choice for the role.
A formal announcement has not yet been made, but Iraola appears to be on course to take charge at Anfield after leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season. Liverpool are expected to hold talks with the Spaniard as they look to complete the process swiftly, ideally before the World Cup begins on 11 June.
The move would reunite Iraola with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, who appointed him at Bournemouth in 2023. Iraola subsequently strengthened his reputation during three seasons on the south coast, leading Bournemouth to sixth place in the Premier League and qualification for the Europa League during his final campaign.
Andoni Iraola, set to become the next Liverpool manager as revealed earlier today!
The negotiations will move forward quickly to get it done with formal steps but #LFC decision made…
…Iraola will be the next manager. pic.twitter.com/r4K1xRnxDP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2026
His style of football is also likely to have played a major part in Liverpool’s thinking. Iraola’s Bournemouth side were aggressive, energetic and committed to pressing high up the pitch. That approach would represent a clear attempt to restore the urgency that was often missing during Liverpool’s difficult second season under Slot.
Slot’s dismissal still represents a remarkable fall from the position he occupied a year ago. Winning the Premier League in his first season ensured that he would always have a place in Liverpool’s history. He succeeded where many managers would have struggled, taking over from Klopp and immediately delivering the club’s biggest domestic prize.
Yet Liverpool have decided that sentiment cannot shape their next move. The title-winning season will remain a major achievement, but the scale of the decline that followed convinced the club that a change of direction was required. Slot leaves Anfield as a Premier League-winning manager, with Iraola now seemingly set to begin the next chapter.
