Martin Keown made bold Slot sack claim but he’s already been proven dangerously wrong | OneFootball

Martin Keown believes Arne Slot can’t get sacked this season after winning the Premier League title in 2024/25.

The Dutchman faces fresh questions over his Liverpool future after the Reds succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at Anfield to Nottingham Forest.

It’s a result that left the reigning champions in 11th, eight points behind Arsenal (who had a game in hand). Though, judging by the current direction of travel (with the Gunners currently 3-1 up against Tottenham), that gap looks set to surpass double digits.

Liverpool can’t sack Arne Slot after Premier League success

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Keown did admit that Liverpool’s struggles this term were utterly unprecedented in light of their recent success.

“I don’t think you can win the league one year and get sacked the next,” the former Arsenal star spoke on Final Score (via BBC Sport).

“It’s remarkable what we are seeing with Liverpool. Their fall from grace and to lose this many games at the start of the season, they are eight points behind top spot, it is unthinkable really from this time last season.”

However, a run of six defeats in the Reds’ last seven Premier League games should inspire some serious questioning.

Who exactly should bear the brunt of such an inquest into Liverpool’s unacceptably poor form in the English top-flight, of course, is up for debate.

Why are Liverpool struggling in 2025/26?

We’ve extensively covered the mitigating reality of Diogo Jota’s tragic passing in the summer and the ongoing impact on the squad.

Beyond that, it would be remiss of us to ignore the impact of the club’s creative fulcrum in Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving for Real Madrid.

Likewise, shaking up the squad with an influx of new signings, including two new fullbacks, has to be playing some part in our destabilisation.

Claudio Ranieri already proved Keown wrong with Leicester sacking

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

A Premier League-winning manager can’t be sacked in the following season? Claudio Ranieri will beg to differ.

The former Leicester City boss was sacked by his employers in February, with the Foxes a point above the relegation zone and only 13 league games left to play.

Things aren’t quite as dire over at Liverpool, it has to be said. Of course, one might also reasonably argue that considerably higher expectation levels on Merseyside should bring Arne Slot under considerable, if not yet equal, scrutiny.

* Arne Slot’s managerial record at Liverpool in the 2025/26 season so far and Claudio Ranieri’s record in the 2016/17 season prior to his sacking (Premier League)

How much time does Slot have?

Obviously, by Liverpool’s lofty standards, a finish just outside the top four isn’t good enough – albeit, it’s unlikely to be a sackable offence.

The problem for decision-makers is judging the threshold for a Premier League-winning head coach. Should FSG call time on Arne Slot if the club is still languishing in the bottom half of the table come the new year? Should we grant him time to work with any potential new signings coming in through the door in January?

Our view on the matter is that the club is highly unlikely to wait until the end of February to act, should we still be waiting on solutions.

Ultimately, we have to budget enough time for any potential successor to come in and help steer the ship back to Champions League qualification safety.

But how much time would the Dutchman’s successor need? Should a break-glass option even be considered in the first place when there are so many mitigating factors to account for?

Sacking Slot just doesn’t look like an objectively simple decision to make – even if results indicate otherwise.

It’s a call that’s incredibly complex by virtue of the fact that there are mitigating factors beyond the manager’s control.

Switching the man in the dugout doesn’t necessarily negate these considerations.

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