Arne Slot said on Thursday he has “every reason to believe” he will be Liverpool manager next season, even as the club heads into a finish that has fallen short of the standards it set only a year ago. The Dutchman, who replaced Jurgen Klopp in 2024, led Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first campaign but now has to steady a side that is still not assured of Champions League football.
“I don't think I am deciding that alone by myself but I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season,” Slot said. “First of all, I am contracted to this club and second of all from all the talks we are having. That is my take on it.”
The comments came as Liverpool prepared for Friday’s trip to fifth-placed Aston Villa, where victory would confirm their place in next season’s Champions League. That would spare the club the strain of carrying qualification into the final weekend, after they missed their first chance to seal it last weekend when they drew at home to Chelsea.
Slot’s side are fourth in the Premier League with two fixtures remaining and are guaranteed to finish with at least 19 fewer points than they collected last season, when they won the league by 10 points. Liverpool have already lost 11 of their 36 games and will end the campaign without a trophy, a sharp drop from the rhythm that carried them to the title in 2024-25.
The mood around Anfield has reflected that slide. Supporters booed Slot’s decision to substitute 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha against Chelsea, and jeers also greeted the full-time whistle. The reaction underlined how quickly the tone has changed for a team that looked comfortably above the rest only months ago.
Even so, there is no public sign that the club’s hierarchy are preparing to move on from Slot this summer. He said the scrutiny is part of the job when results dip, especially after a season that has not measured up to the one before it. “If you don't have the best season, especially if you compare with last season - if you compare it with other seasons you might have a different debate, but if you compare it with last season - this has definitely not been a great season, then it is also normal that criticism comes,” he said.
Slot added that criticism now follows managers, players and clubs more quickly than before. “We have all had our share, and with all I mean the players have had their share, the manager has had their share and other people in the club have had their share. That is how things work nowadays if you don't win the league,” he said. “I think the world has gone to if a manager or a club doesn't have their best season there is always a debate about that - it is not only Liverpool, it is all around the world.”
He also pointed to the work already under way behind the scenes, suggesting planning for next season has not been put on hold by the recent wobble. “We know where we go on tour [in pre-season], so our plans have been made and talks have been ongoing between the club and new players and I am involved in that,” he said. Mohamed Salah is available to return for what could be the penultimate game of his Liverpool career after a hamstring problem, giving Slot another senior option as the club tries to end a difficult run on a more settled note.
For Liverpool, Friday is about more than a place in Europe. It is a test of whether the title-winning manager hired to follow Klopp still has room to shape what comes next, or whether a season that began with promise has instead left the club recalibrating far sooner than it expected.
