Replacing Arne Slot? Liverpool started talks with French boss months ago | OneFootball

Liverpool first made contact with one French boss months ago. This has been in the pipeline for a while.

Arne Slot is out at Liverpool and the Reds will now need to find someone new. That search, however, isn't a brand new one - it seems the club have been looking for months.

Slot first came under severe pressure at the backend of 2025 as Liverpool went on a historically-bad run of results. Liverpool chose to stick by him, and ultimately gave the Dutchman the rest of the season.

Fabrice Hawkins, though, claims that Liverpool did look at other coaches since at least January. The Reds apparently made contact with Pierre Sage of RC Lens, with the French club's permission.

Now, it seems Liverpool won't appoint Sage but he'll remain in contention for the position. The real story is that the Reds started the process so long ago.

It tells us two things. Firstly, that the club perhaps didn't quite have the faith in Slot that they were publicly claiming. But also, that Liverpool have done most of the work behind finding a new head coach.

This is a process that could move very, very quickly.

Pierre Sage: Situation Summary

Lens Campaign and Stats

As of 31 May 2026, Pierre Sage has concluded a historic domestic campaign with RC Lens. The 47-year-old French tactician enjoyed a phenomenal season, masterminding a historic Coupe de France triumph after defeating Nice in the final. Furthermore, Sage guided the Sang et Or to a stunning runners-up finish in Ligue 1, keeping Paris Saint-Germain honest in the title race right up until the final weeks of the season and successfully securing a coveted UEFA Champions League berth for next year.

Anfield Shortlist and Palace Talks

Despite his immense success in France, Sage’s future at Lens is far from secure amid mounting Premier League interest. Following the sudden sacking of Arne Slot, Liverpool have included the highly-regarded manager on their shortlist of alternative options alongside frontrunner Andoni Iraola. Sage recently fuelled speculation by publicly admitting that managing Liverpool would be his absolute "dream job." Concurrently, Crystal Palace are actively exploring a move to lure Sage to London.