Insider claims Arne Slot WILL be sacked if Liverpool lose to Sunderland as new woeful stat makes FSG wince | OneFootball

Arne Slot has been warned that he is now just one defeat away from losing his job as Liverpool manager as the Reds travel north for a clash at Sunderland now branded “must-win” and with the Dutchman himself opening up on the mounting pressure he is under.

It’s been a seriously underwhelming season for Liverpool. Coming into the campaign as reigning Premier League champions and off the back of a dreamy £440m (€505m, $600m) summer spree, the Reds were expected to challenge on all four fronts. And while they still remain in contention for Champions League glory and remain in the FA Cup, a shambolic defence of their English league crown has cranked up serious heat on the manager’s head.

Indeed, a bleak run of form over the autumn saw Liverpool suffer an unprecedented nine losses in 12 games, with the Liverpool Echo claiming the manager was just one week away from the axe. And while a mini revival spared his skin, the pressure remains very much back on Slot after a woeful run of form overall, which has yielded just six wins from their last 20 Premier League games.

Indeed, Sunday’s loss to Manchester City means the Reds have lost eight times in the league already – double the number they endured throughout all of last season.

And according to former Everton chief executive, Keith Wyness, he was told earlier this month that defeat in two of their next three games would spell the end of Slot’s reign as Liverpool manager.

Since then, the Reds have beaten Newcastle but lost to City, meaning defeat at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night may well prove the Dutchman’s last stand.

Failure to beat Sunderland – who are unbeaten at the Stadium of Light all season – would also mark a new low for Liverpool: the first time in the Premier League they have gone five games having failed to beat a newly-promoted side.

And while they just squeaked past Burnley early on in the campaign, thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from Mo Salah, they have since drawn the subsequent four games: twice with Leeds, and then on both Anfield clashes against the Clarets and the Black Cats.

In light of all that, a report on Tuesday revealed the Reds have now placed a ‘serious question mark’ over the future of Slot, with the worrying financial reality of the Reds’ shambolic season now dawning on owners FSG.

Slot sack? Boss faces up to the realities of Liverpool situation

Despite all that, TEAMtalk sources still insist that Slot will not be fired before the end of the season and especially while the club are still involved in their push for the Premier League’s top five – seen as the cut-off for the Champions League places again this season – and while still pushing for European glory.

However, we have been told the club are making moves behind the scenes for prospective successors and with sources revealing a big-name option has said ‘Yes’ to taking on the job if the opportunity comes his way…

Either way, a failure to bring UCL football back to Anfield next season will almost certainly leave FSG with little other choice.

In light of his struggles this season and having admitted why Champions League football is paramount to the club’s plans, Slot faced up to the task at hand during a press conference on Tuesday.

“It’s fair to say it’s the toughest season for me as a manager by a mile,” Slot said. “Don’t think I’d ever previously lost two games in a row. It’s an exception for me and the players and me, they aren’t used to losing and drawing so much.”

He added: “This season has been more challenging for me. But I also look at how much improvement we are making. The main thing as a manager is results, but the next thing is seeing players can improve – and I’m seeing that.

“Our performances are much better now than at the start of the season, where we started playing a double programme [midweek games in addition to the weekend]. Since we went into that, we started to drop a lot of points.”

Asked if failing to bring Champions League football back to Anfield will be classed as a failure, he admitted: “Yes! If we don’t have Champions League, then it’s definitely not been an acceptable season.

“When I arrived here, we could only sign [Federico] Chiesa, and that was after a Europa League season. I’m completely aware of that.”

And on the challenge of playing Sunderland, he added: “There are more teams that are having a very good season, Arsenal one, Villa impressive, Brentford impressive, but Sunderland also impressive.

“It’s definitely an accomplishment if you come up to the Premier League and do as well as they have.”

Fans not entirely on board with Xabi Alonso; Jacquet injury assessment

Meanwhile, Liverpool supporters appear divided on whether they should sack Slot and appoint Xabi Alonso as his replacement, with some fans picking out three other preferred options, and amid a damning stat which suggests the Dutchman could be on borrowed time.

On the transfer front, Ibrahima Konate’s stance on signing a new contract at Anfield has angered Liverpool who’ve just launched a countermeasure.

And finally, Liverpool are prepared to green-light surgery for new signing Jeremy Jacquet, sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk, and with a down-on-his-luck Slot cursing the disappointing news that the Frenchman has suffered an injury.