FSG have massive £20m JUDGEMENT call to make | OneFootball

Liverpool have successfully managed to address the issues they had on the pitch last season.

In spite of winning the Premier League by 10 points, you could tell that everything wasn't quite as rosy as it appeared. A left-back needed to be recruited, alongside a right-back to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold and a striker to replace Darwin Nunez. Through circumstance, we then signed an additional striker, and an attacking midfielder was sought to give the side even more creativity.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) gave Richard Hughes and the recruitment team £446m to spent on players, with £228m coming in through sales. The Reds had their pick of the bunch in the market.

Now, however, Arne Slot has struggled to get a fine tune out of his stacked squad, delivering seven wins and three losses from the opening 10 games of the season. Performances have been below-par despite what the initial results suggested, and there are a lot of issues that need a quick-resolution.

The next few months will be pivotal to helping FSG make their biggest judgement call in recent times.

Arne Slot's contract dilemma

Back in June 2024, the Dutchman signed a three-year contract, earning £6.6m per year.

Liverpool couldn't possibly commit to a new head coach for any longer timespan given the uncertainty around how things would work now that Jurgen Klopp was no longer at the club.

It was this context that made the Premier League title win all the more special. No one could have expected Slot's impact to be as big as it was. Just £12m was spent on transfers. He over-delivered.

This season is a whole different ball-game, however, because the insane transfer spend to reinvigorate the side has meant expectations are higher. Retaining the title is always something that winners are tasked with, but in most people's minds, spending money should equate to success.

As such, the reaction to Liverpool's three consecutive losses - void of any context - has been stark.

The players have to take responsibility for their underwhelming efforts, and the criticism should fuel them to try harder and improve in their areas for improvement. This could be spending more time in the gym or doing more drills on the training pitch, but overcoming adversity isn't meant to be easy.

Furthermore, a number of tactical changes have to be brought in by Slot to restore balance to the side; we're too easy to play against and the range of attacking talents we have aren't seeing enough of the ball. The Reds' potential is clear for all to see, but the development to get there is ongoing.

Suggestions that Slot should be sacked if the team doesn't start to improve are far-fetched and those who are promoting such a narrative need to re-evaluate why they're supporting the team. Over time, we've seen the club in far worse states than merely sitting one point off the top of the league.

But FSG will be carefully watching how and if Slot turns the situation around. He's handsomely paid and his contract is still set to run out in 2027, so it's in doubt as to whether he's with us long-term.

If the Premier League is retained, or a top four finish is secured with a trophy secured along the way, then we might see three-year extension be offered, taking him to 2029 - a contract which would cost around £20m (£6.6m per year). But we need to see more from him before he's afforded that.

Unlike other managers whose jobs are at risk, Slot is not inflexible with his system, which is why everyone connected to the club has the upmost faith in his ability to find solutions to the problems that he's encountering, although it might be a wise move to hold fire on committing to him quite yet.