Arne Slot sack talk draws fiery Roy Keane response as Liverpool old boy reveals FSG’s ‘real concern’ | OneFootball

Roy Keane is adamant that sacking Arne Slot would be the wrong move by Liverpool, having offered a shock defence of the Reds boss, though the club’s former full-back Stephen Warnock has explained the major concern facing FSG about retaining the Dutchman’s services.

Liverpool spent £440m (€505m, $600m) on new players last summer in an effort to create a trophy dynasty at Anfield. But instead of improving on the side that strolled to the 2024/25 Premier League title, the Reds have seen their form drop off a cliff this season.

Having suffered an alarming 16 defeats across all competitions so far, Liverpool will finish the season trophyless. More alarmingly, they also now face a big battle to even claim a Champions League place, though they do currently sit fifth – the minimum they need – and hold a four-point buffer on Chelsea in sixth.

Those failures, though, have seen Slot‘s job come up for serious debate on more than one occasion throughout the season, and, back in the autumn and in the midst of a run of nine defeats in 12 games, the Liverpool Echo claimed the Dutchman was ‘one week from the sack’.

While results have improved since then, performances have not, though our reporter, Graeme Bailey, was one of five top journalists recently to explain why Slot was likely to remain in situ, following an upcoming summer review.

Now former Man Utd captain Keane has weighed in on the debate and insists the Merseysiders would be making a mistake getting rid of Slot just a year after their title triumph and is still backing them to finish in the top-five places.

“Yeah, you can’t be sacking the manager a year after winning the league,” Keane said on the Stick to Football podcast.

“They’re [the fans] restless. Of course, but aren’t most fans?

“It’s about how they finish the season. They’ve got they got United in a couple of weeks. So, they’re big games emotionally for the fans, aren’t they? But I’ll think they’ll be fine for the top five.”

Liverpool have two concerns as Slot faces ‘six-game review’ to save job

Despite that, Warnock feels FSG will be concerned by Liverpool’s drop-off this season and believes they will be concerned about the level of performances and how they have fallen massively behind Europe’s top sides, despite the hefty money splashed out.

“If I asked you how Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain play, I think you could tell me exactly the style of football they play,” Warnock said on BBC Sport.

“Slot talks about controlled position, they look anything but controlled in a game at the moment, and I think that’s a real concern.”

Warnock added: “They spent £450m in the summer and look further away from Paris Saint-Germain than they did last year.”

Even in light of those fears, though, the message we’re receiving from sources is that Slot’s future is not under any immediate concern, with Liverpool FC maintaining a consistent internal message regarding the future of the 47-year-old.

However, there is a feeling that expectations have fallen short this season, and the club will need to show fight and a positive response across their remaining six Premier League games to ensure Slot can continue in the role.

As previously reported, a full and in-depth end-of-season review from FSG’s football chief, Michael Edwards, and sporting director Richard Hughes is already planned, with Slot’s position set to be assessed alongside the wider performance of the squad, and overall direction of the project.

While all the signs indicate Slot will be allowed to remain at the helm, a change of manager is not entirely implausible, either, and Slot will need a top-five finish to keep the wolves from the door.

Failure to do so will leave his position vulnerable.

The hierarchy also wants to see a reaction from the players and the manager in their final six games in light of their UCL exit to PSG.

Those performances will also go a long way to determining Slot’s future.

Liverpool have Slot replacements under consideration

TEAMtalk can also confirm that Xabi Alonso’s availability also casts a dark shadow over Anfield, and there is an element of FOMO (fear of missing out) should the Reds continue with Slot and ignore the Spaniard.

As previously revealed, Alonso is ready to return to management this summer after leaving Real Madrid midway through the season, and his availability is not going unnoticed.

The Spaniard has also made it clear that a return to Anfield is something that would be of interest.

In addition, Liverpool have also been made aware of the availability of Andoni Iraola, who will exit Bournemouth at the end of his contract this summer.

The Basque tactician has won many admirers during his three-year stint on the south coast, and his pressing style of play bears more than a passing resemblance to the approach utilised by a certain Jurgen Klopp.

The fact that Hughes was the man responsible for bringing Iraola to Bournemouth also lends further weight to interest from Liverpool.

On the subject of Hughes, sources can confirm the sporting director will be staying on Merseyside this summer, and while interest from Al-Hilal was concrete, the Scot has rejected their approach and is firmly focused on this summer’s transfer plans at Anfield and helping restore the Reds to previous glories.