There has been a suggestion this week that Xabi Alonso is ready to replace Arne Slot in the Liverpool dugout.
The news regarding Alonso joining emerged from Germany, but it doesn’t appear as though the Reds are close to agreeing a deal with the Spaniard.
A new update from David Ornstein instead says that Liverpool are not planning to part company with Slot.
Just how bad do you want Arne Slot gone? 😬
Liverpool not planning to replace Arne Slot
The pressure on the Dutchman has grown after a season that has fallen well below the standards expected at Anfield, but the latest line is that the club are still backing him.
Speaking on The Athletic FC podcast, Ornstein delivered the message amid speculation about Alonso’s potential arrival.
He said: “All our information, despite reports to the contrary, is that Liverpool are sticking with Arne Slot. There’s no thought to changing coach, that they are planning with him and their priority, their focus is to give him the profile of squad to succeed.”
Liverpool have clearly had a bad season by their own standards, and nobody at the club can hide from that, least of all Slot. Results have dipped, performances have lacked authority, and too many games have drifted away without the team imposing themselves on them for 90 minutes.
To give context to the situation, Slot walked into one of the biggest jobs in Europe, inherited huge expectation, and has had to deal with the scrutiny that comes with every poor result.
That does not excuse the failures on the pitch, but it does help explain why the club are not rushing towards a decision after one difficult campaign.
Ornstein made that point clear as well. He said: “I’m not here to defend Arne Slot. Liverpool’s season has been poor by their standards, their performances, their results and he is at the centre of that. But if you look at the range of factors on and off the pitch, it’s remarkable and I’m not surprised that Liverpool want to give him longer.”
That final line feels like the key part of all this. The Merseyside outfit are not viewing this as a short-term mess that needs a dramatic fix in the dugout.
They appear to believe Slot still deserves the chance to work with a squad shaped more closely to his demands, and that means recruitment now becomes the biggest issue heading into the next window.
Supporters will still expect a sharp improvement, and rightly so. Backing a manager only counts for so much if the football stays flat and the results stay poor.
But as things stand, Liverpool are sticking with the 47-year-old, and the next major call looks set to come in the transfer market rather than the manager’s office.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
