Arne Slot risks Liverpool ‘mutiny’ as Richard Hughes set clear sack mission | OneFootball

Liverpool fans could force Arne Slot out of the club this summer as sporting director Richard Hughes has been urged to reignite a move for Xabi Alonso.

Liverpool have attempted to dampen the speculation around Slot’s future in recent months by insisting the Dutchman will remain in charge over the summer and guide the team into the 2026-27 campaign, despite all that has gone wrong this season. Alonso has been heavily linked with the Liverpool job but has since emerged as a target for both Chelsea and Manchester City.

However, Slot’s relationship with the Liverpool fanbase hit a new low on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a desperately out-of-form Chelsea side.

Slot’s decision to replace exciting youngster Rio Ngumoha with Alexander Isak in the second half was met with a chorus of boos.

The wider performance did little to help Slot’s cause, either. Ryan Gravenberch fired Liverpool into the lead six minutes in, only for the home side to let Chelsea grow into the match. There was yet more poor defending on show from Liverpool as Enzo Fernandez’s low free-kick beat everyone in the box and went in off the back post.

Reacting to Liverpool dropping more points in the Premier League, The Athletic’s James Pearce noted the ‘mutinous mood’ at Anfield.

‘FSG will imminently face a similarly big decision over the fate of Arne Slot [to when they backed and then sacked Rodgers in 2015]…,’ he wrote.

‘The mutinous mood inside Anfield on Saturday sent a clear message to the hierarchy about the scale of the unrest. It felt like this was the day when patience truly snapped.

‘A Liverpool manager hadn’t faced this level of dissent on home turf since the final throes of Roy Hodgson’s tenure in late 2010.’

Pearce continued: ‘[There is] a massive disconnect between what supporters expect to see from a Liverpool side and the brand of football the former Feyenoord boss is repeatedly serving up.

‘Chelsea arrived at Anfield in crisis, having suffered six successive league defeats. When Gravenberch struck inside six minutes, Liverpool had the perfect platform to kick on, go for the jugular and exploit the Londoners’ frailties.

‘Inexplicably, they took their foot off the gas. As sporting director Richard Hughes watched on from the directors’ box, the hosts retreated and allowed Chelsea time and space to operate.’

Pearce went on to namecheck Alonso, suggesting Liverpool will regret letting their former midfielder join another elite club this summer.

‘The problem is that so much goodwill has been lost over the past nine months that if Slot stays put and then Liverpool’s form at the start of next season is patchy, things will turn toxic at Anfield very quickly,’ he added.

‘And if the decision-makers at FSG find themselves having to make a change mid-season, as they did in 2015, the calibre of candidates available is highly unlikely to be comparable to those out of work this summer.

‘Xabi Alonso, who would be a popular choice among supporters, will surely be in a new job. There certainly won’t be a saviour in the mould of Jurgen Klopp waiting to pick up the pieces, as he did 11 years ago…

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End of season ‘can’t come soon enough’ for Liverpool – Pearce

‘The end of the season can’t come soon enough. There’s so much wrong and it requires a sizeable leap of faith to believe Slot can fix it.’

Despite all the rumours about Alonso, Fabrizio Romano believes Slot is set to keep his job going into next season.

“At the moment, the feeling at Liverpool, I can confirm, is that it is absolutely in the direction that they want to continue with Slot,” he said.

“Why? Because so far – and it’s May now; it’s no longer February, March, or April – in May, Liverpool have not made contact with any other manager.

“There were many rumours on Liverpool making contact with Alonso coming from Germany, but I can guarantee that Liverpool this year never made any direct approach with Alonso or with his agents.”

We revealed on April 22 that Slot is very confident he will remain at Liverpool and is already planning the club’s summer transfer window.

We understand that Slot even believes he could help Liverpool push to regain the league title next season, even if a majority of fans do not agree.

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