Arne Slot told he must achieve two big targets to avoid Liverpool sack with ‘major review’ pencilled in | OneFootball

Liverpool plan to hold a major summer review into the future of under-fire Arne Slot, and while Jamie Carragher has now joined the chorus of observers expecting him to be sacked, a journalist has revealed the two targets he must now achieve to have any hope of staying in the role beyond this season.

The Reds’ crown as champions of England has worn heavy. Despite spending a titanic £440m (€505m, $600m) on new players over the summer, Liverpool have gone backwards this season and their campaign has been one of underwhelming disappointment.

Having suffered 13 losses across all competitions, not to mention a string of underwhelming draws, Liverpool sit a huge 21 points adrift of Premier League pacesetters Arsenal.

Given how far they have fallen off their perch, speculation over the future of Slot has been under the spotlight on multiple occasions throughout the season.

Despite that, sources have insisted to TEAMtalk that nothing will be done until the season’s end, when the club will decide whether to back or sack their manager.

But with Xabi Alonso casting a large shadow over Anfield, and with sources making it clear that the Spaniard is very much keen on the Liverpool job, Slot’s exit at Anfield is looking increasingly likely.

Now, ahead of Wednesday evening’s crucial Champions League last-16 second-leg tie against Galatasaray at Anfield, Slot has been told the two targets he needs to achieve if he is to avoid the sack this summer.

“The pressure has been on Slot for a while now. Results and performances have not been good enough,” Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider.

“He really needs a strong end to the season to really boost his chances of keeping that job on a long-term basis.

“It’s a difficult time for Slot, but I don’t think any result next week against Galatasaray will have an immediate impact on his future.

“At the end of the season, I’m sure there will be a review, and maybe then a decision might be made on his future.”

Stating that he needs both a trophy and a top-five finish to have any chance of retaining his job, O’Rourke believes an elimination at the hands of the Turkish champions could deliver a massive setback to those chances.

“It’ll definitely ramp up the pressure on him, whether it’ll have a direct influence on a decision to be made on his future before the end of the season, I don’t think so,” he added.

“He’s got a bit of credit in the bank, and obviously the goal is now to try and end the season with some silverware. Then it’s all about finishing in that top five for the Champions League.”

Arne Slot sack: Carragher, two journos expect axe to fall

A failure to finish in the top five would undoubtedly spell the end for Slot, while his chances of silverware now depend on progression past Galatasaray and then PSG – they would be due to meet the reigning champions in the quarter-finals of the Champions League – and in beating Manchester City, who the Reds have been drawn away to in the FA Cup.

Either way, Jamie Carragher is now convinced the Dutchman is a goner, with Sunday’s woeful 1-1 draw against Tottenham evidence enough that a change is required.

“It’s worrying, in terms of what Liverpool do this season,” Carragher said. “The bigger point is how worrying it is for the manager.”

Carragher also points to the Anfield crowd’s boos as a sure-fire sign that Slot is on the way out.

“I think there’s a difference with most support in terms of what we see online compared to the match-going fans.

“For a lot of this season, when people have turned on Arne Slot, the match-going fans have stuck with him. Even on the back of what happened with Mo Salah, the next game was away in the San Siro, and the fans were chanting for Arne Slot.

“It’s not easy for a Liverpool crowd to turn on a manager who has won a title less than a year before, but I felt there was a big shift on Sunday in terms of how the crowd felt about the team and the manager.

“The booing at the end, that was proper booing from a disgruntled and unhappy fanbase.

“I think it’s going to be really difficult now for Arne Slot to get them back. Once you lose that crowd, it’s really difficult to get them back.”

Two respected Liverpool FC journalists also shared their frustrations at the performance as the Reds made the relegation-haunted visitors, who went into the game on a run of six straight losses, look like the significantly better side.

David Lynch, who has covered the Reds for years and is considered a trusted voice on all things Liverpool FC, wrote on X: ‘Completely, inexcusably abject from Liverpool – the worst result of a horrible season. It may well be the case that this league no longer allows you to play good football, but ineffectiveness isn’t compulsory, too. How can Arne Slot possibly make the case to stay this summer?’

ESPN‘s Liverpool correspondent, Beth Lindop, also had her say on what was yet another abject result: ‘In a season filled with so many abject results, that one might just be the worst for Liverpool. So predictable and avoidable. Not enough urgency or intent to build on their early lead. Loud boos at the full-time whistle. Players look shellshocked.’

Liverpool’s supporters were also far from happy, too, with many now also demanding his instant removal as manager.

Meanwhile, sources can reveal that Liverpool and Manchester United are ramping up their interest in a 25-year-old Wolves star who has been in excellent form of late, teeing up a transfer battle in the summer, and with historic quotes from the player potentially hinting at where he would like to move next.

Elsewhere, another source has verified claims that Real Madrid are ready to sell Eduardo Camavinga and Liverpool ARE interested in bringing the Frenchman to Anfield in a move that’ll spell bad news for one Reds midfielder who has looked out of sorts in recent weeks.

In other news, Liverpool have been given a major incentive to push through a deal for another major summer target in Yan Diomande after a German source revealed why Bayern Munich have decided not to pursue their interest in the RB Leipzig winger.

Whether Richard Hughes will be around though to oversee all these changes remains to be seen. That’s after a shocking report on Tuesday claimed the Reds’ sporting director could follow Slot out of Anfield this summer in a sensational twist, with two reporters providing significant updates.