Liverpool’s season took another hit on Friday night when they lost to Aston Villa, a result that left them with a 20th defeat of the campaign and pushed Arne Slot deeper into trouble at Anfield. By Saturday, Mohamed Salah had added fuel to the fire with a social media statement aimed at the club’s recent standards.
That combination has turned a poor run into something much more serious. Reports this week say Liverpool have already drawn up a shortlist of replacements if they decide Slot cannot recover the situation, with Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, Al-Ahli’s German manager Matthias Jaissle and outgoing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola among the names being discussed. Graeme Bailey said the pressure is moving quickly now, adding that Edwards and Hughes have serious thinking and talking to do.
The mood around Liverpool has shifted fast because this is no longer only about one bad result or even one bad week. Slot’s side have now lost 20 times this season, a figure that would sit heavily on any top club, and Salah’s decision to speak out publicly has given the issue a new edge. Bailey said the situation with Slot is escalating at pace and that not everyone inside the club is aligned behind the idea that he should definitely stay.
That matters because Liverpool have built a reputation for measured decision-making, not knee-jerk reactions, and Bailey said the ownership recognise this has become a very concerning situation. The club’s leadership now has to balance the scale of the slump against the timing of any change, with a Champions League final still looming for one of the names being linked to the job. Luis Enrique, who is preparing for Paris Saint-Germain’s second consecutive final against Arsenal at the end of the month, has emerged as the bookmakers’ latest favourite.
Enrique would bring a record that stands apart from the rest of the field. He won two titles at Barcelona, along with the European Cup and a haul of domestic trophies, and has also collected three Ligue 1 titles with Paris, plus the Champions League and two Coupe de France. That pedigree explains why he has surfaced at the top of the market, even if any move would be complicated by his current focus on another final.
For now, the clearest sign of where Liverpool stand is not a formal announcement but the noise around the club itself. Bailey said Salah’s comments hit home in a massive way and that there is actually a lot of sympathy internally for what he said, with people at the club understanding why he voiced those frustrations. That is the friction point Liverpool have to confront: a manager under pressure, a senior player speaking publicly, and a boardroom that may already be split on how long to wait before acting.
If Slot keeps the job, he will need a quick response on the pitch. If he does not, Liverpool have already begun shaping the conversation around who comes next, and Iraola is now part of that picture.
