Sebastian Hoeneß on Liverpool shortlist as ‘formal talks’ planned for Arne Slot successor

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Empire of the Kop

·1 giugno 2026

Sebastian Hoeneß on Liverpool shortlist as ‘formal talks’ planned for Arne Slot successor

Sebastian Hoeneß and Pierre Sage remain two names that may be on Liverpool’s shortlist to replace Arne Slot.

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Outgoing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is believed to be the ‘frontrunner’ for the role in question.

The Merseysiders are understood to be pushing to secure a new head coach ahead of the World Cup.

Sebastian Hoeneß, Pierre Sage and Andoni Iraola are on Liverpool’s list

The expectation is that Iraola will be the next Liverpool manager heading into the 2026/27 season.

However, it’s perfectly normal for clubs of the Reds’ calibre to keep a shortlist of alternative options in case ‘formal talks’ with the Spaniard don’t pan out as hoped.

“The reports are to be believed that they will start formal talks later this week. He does seem to be the frontrunner,” Alex Irwin told Sky Sports.

“There are other names being mentioned; Sebastian Hoeneß from Stuttgart and Pierre Sage from RC Lens. Two other names that may be on the list for Liverpool.

“But it does seem like Iraola, who had that fantastic season with Bournemouth finishing sixth (the first time the club’s been in Europe), he seems to be the frontrunner, he seems to be the one Liverpool want.”

🚨 Liverpool are set to begin formal talks with Andoni Iraola over replacing Arne Slot as manager this week. Sebastian Hoeneß and Pierre Sage are also in consideration.
– lunedì 1 giugno 2026

With that in mind, Hoeneß would be the next name on the list to attract our intrigue, given the tremendous work he’s undertaken transforming VfB Stuttgart’s fortunes on the pitch.

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Sage, by comparison, feels like more of a risk, albeit the Frenchman did lead Lens to a first Coupe de France title along with a second-place finish behind PSG in Ligue 1.

Next Liverpool manager: If not Iraola, should Hoeneß be next up?

From our perspective, we’re more than open to the prospect of Andoni Iraola taking over the reins at Anfield.

The Spaniard plays an extremely attractive brand of football that’s built on aggressive pressing and heavy work-rate on the pitch. A style that’s allowed league minnows Bournemouth to compete with the very top of the Premier League, securing wins against Arsenal and Liverpool last term.

If for some reason the 43-year-old doesn’t pass muster when it comes to talks with Liverpool, we’d have to imagine the next man on the list would be Stuttgart’s Hoeneß.

Uli Hoeneß’s nephew led the Bundesliga side to second place (behind Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen) in 2023/24 – the season after finishing in a relegation playoff spot.

They fell short of an extremely impressive Bayern Munich side in the DFB Pokal final in 2025/26 after securing Champions League football for 2026/27.

Similarly to Iraola, the 44-year-old favours a dynamic brand of football that forces turnovers through high pressing in the final third.

If that doesn’t scream the kind of football our fellow Liverpool fans have been calling for all season, we don’t know what will!