Liverpool make ‘first contact’ for next manager as Arne Slot sack timeline is revealed | OneFootball

Liverpool have made ‘first contact’ with former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso as they look to replace Arne Slot as manager, according to reports.

Everything looked a bit more positive in midweek for Slot as the Dutchman guided Liverpool to an impressive 3-0 win on the road at French side Marseille in the Champions League.

But Liverpool took another step backwards on Saturday when they lost 3-2 to Bournemouth in the final seconds of their Premier League clash.

Having come from two goals down to equalise, thanks to goals from Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool allowed Amine Adli to score a winning goal for the Cherries in the fifth minute of injury time.

If results go against them on Sunday, Liverpool could find themselves dropping as low as ninth in the Premier League table after the defeat on the South Coast.

And that has piled the pressure on Slot with Liverpool spending over £400m to back the Dutchman in the transfer market after he won the Premier League in his first season at Anfield.

There have been rumours that Liverpool are reluctant to bring in a new manager mid-season but results could dictate a change sooner than they want.

After being sacked by Real Madrid earlier this month, former Reds midfielder Alonso ‘isn’t willing to accept just any offer’ and is currently ‘going through a period of deep reflection’.

Liverpool are ’emerging as an increasingly solid option, both in the short and medium term’ with Slot currently only having ‘the board’s support until the end of the season’.

The report adds: ‘The club doesn’t want to take any chances. Therefore, they’ve sounded out Xabi Alonso ‘s representatives to gauge his future interest. The response has been positive, which brings peace of mind and opens up a clear path forward.’

Reflecting on their late defeat to Bournemouth, Liverpool boss Slot told reporters in his post-match press conference: “Frustrating, of course, because conceding a goal is always frustrating but especially if there’s no time left to come back into the game.

“I think it’s safe to say they could have scored the 3-2 also a little bit earlier and what I mean with that is I think after we scored the 2-2, we were still trying but I think it’s safe to say a few players of ours ran out of energy.

“I cannot even criticise them for that because two days ago we had to play an away game in Europe. We are the only team that played [in the] Champions League that has two days between in this time.

After an away game [then] another away game against one of the most intense teams in the league. I mainly, as you see, play the same players because of the players we have available. So then, what should not have happened is that you have to win it in the end because that’s then more difficult.

“That’s what you saw in the last 10 minutes. I think for the rest of the game it was completely different, I think there we dominated the game.”