Report reveals three huge names Liverpool want to replace Arne Slot as sack talk gathers pace | OneFootball

A startling new report claims to have revealed the three men FSG are considering as a successor to Arne Slot as Liverpool manager amid growing uncertainty over the Dutchman, while our sources have revealed the ‘non-negotiable’ the Dutchman must achieve if he is to avoid the sack.

The Premier League champions have suffered a jaw-dropping fall from grace this season, suffering nine losses in their last 12 games across all competitions, to fall way off the pace in the title race. While they can still make progress in the Champions League – Liverpool currently sit 13th in the expanded 32-team table – their confidence is at an all-time low off the back of a demoralising 4-1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven.

After slipping to a run of defeats not seen at the Merseyside giants since January 1954 – a 71-year low – it is easy to see why Slot is now fighting to save his job at Anfield.

While speaking defiantly in his press conference on Thursday and making it clear he is “fighting on”, it is evidently clear the club’s owners, FSG, are now making contingency plans in case they do have to part ways with the under-fire 47-year-old.

Now, according to GB News, the club’s decision-makers have drawn up a three-man shortlist of options to succeed Slot at Anfield.

Per their report, top of their list is Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who has just over six months remaining on his contract at Selhurst Park. The Austrian has done a stellar job at Selhurst Park, leading the club to FA Cup glory last season and looking well placed to enjoy another solid season this time around, despite the loss of their star man, Eberechi Eze.

Also on the list, per the report, is another Premier League boss whose current contract expires at the season’s end – Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, who has worked wonders on the south coast and has the Cherries looking strong contenders to claim a first-ever European finish this season.

The list is completed by VfB Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness, who led the club to DfB Pokal success last season and had masterminded a second-placed finish in the Bundesliga the season prior.

The 43-year-old has previously been linked with both Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

In light of speculation over Slot’s future, our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher has spoken to a source at the Merseyside club, who has admitted the Dutchman is under intense pressure and that the club has been left “rattled” by Wednesday’s loss to PSV.

In Fletcher’s hard-hitting report, he revealed that while the long-term vision remains unchanged, Wednesday’s thrashing at home has rattled the club, intensifying scrutiny on Slot.

As a result, the upcoming Premier League fixture against West Ham United on Sunday looks a pivotal moment in his future.

Insiders stress that victory against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is almost non-negotiable.

Liverpool are expected to win their next three matches – West Ham (A), Sunderland (H) and Leeds United (A) – and any slip-ups could rapidly escalate the pressure on the former Feyenoord boss.

Behind the scenes, contingency planning is understood to be in its infancy.

And while GB News has listed Glasner, Iraola and Hoeness as options, TEAMtalk understands that Ange Postecoglou, recently sacked by Nottingham Forest after a turbulent spell, remains highly regarded by Liverpool’s decision-makers.

Senior figures at Anfield have long admired the Australian’s attacking philosophy and personality, believing he would suit the club’s identity despite his struggles at the City Ground – a role many felt was an ill-fit from the outset.

Postecoglou’s availability has not diminished Liverpool’s long-standing interest, although sources are quick to stress no formal approach has been made and the club’s public position continues to back Slot.

Slot willing to fight for future

Speaking on Thursday at a press conference, Slot himself insisted he was prepared to fight on to preserve his job.

“We’ve had the same conversations as we’ve had since I’ve been here. We fight on. And we try to improve, that is what we all try. The conversations have been the same as the last 18 months,” he said.

“Let down by the players? No, not at all. Although I do agree that our standards, the team, have not been at the standard we’re used to. We think we can play better than we do. The focus is on the team not the individuals. If the opposite is happening, we look at the team not the individuals.

“It’s not easy to say what I can do differently. If you win, lose or draw, you reflect on the decisions you made in the week, maybe you do it more if you lose. We try to find the answer we need to win a game.

“In the end, it’s about doing what this club is about – keep fighting, we have to fight together. It would also be nice if we reward ourselves in the moments we play well, because there are large parts when we do. Every small mistake or error leads to us conceding a goal.”

He added: “A lot of pressure is there if you work at a top club, even more so if you are losing more than this club is used to.

“There is always pressure, last year it was to win the league but now it is a different pressure. Maybe my job is easier because I don’t have to play. It’s hard for every player, when we go down after five minutes and play well first half, and then we concede in the second half, so we get knock after knock after knock. So we keep fighting. It is what we did so well last year, and it is the minimum we expect over 90 minutes.”

Asked how he has been sleeping, he added: “Not the best. Not like I lie awake for the whole night, but if we win, I don’t sleep well, adrenaline and thoughts, but I have had enough hours sleep.

“I didn’t have a drink with [PSV coach] Peter Bosz because I had a lot of media work. I asked him, but it was too late, so I will congratulate him in a message.

“There are a lot of people I could call for advice, but a lot of people at this club who I can call for advice.”

Meanwhile, Slot has been told in no uncertain terms that he needs to immediately drop two underperforming players if he is to have any hope of keeping his job.

Elsewhere, three journalists who primarily cover Liverpool have summed up the crisis at Anfield right now, and one doesn’t see any way Slot can continue in his role as manager.

On the transfer front, Liverpool have a confirmed and genuine interest in signing Antoine Semenyo, though a transfer insider now firmly believes any move to bring the player to Anfield may be frozen until the summer amid a big concern aired by Slot.