Danny Murphy has predicted that Liverpool will not challenge for the Premier League title next season if Arne Slot stays as head coach.
The Reds look set to go against the wishes of the fanbase and keep Slot in charge despite a horrendously under-par campaign.
Though the Dutchman will likely be given a handful of new players to get back to the top this summer, it is going to take an almighty swing for them to regain their place as champions. According to Murphy, that simply won’t happen under Slot.
Are Liverpool making the right call by sticking with Arne Slot? 🤔
What does he need to do to get the fans and players back on side?
Liverpool won’t win the Premier League next season – Murphy
Until recently, there had been a feeling that Liverpool would look to move on from Slot at the end of the campaign.
However, the pendulum has swung in the past couple of weeks, with the 47-year-old now expected to enter the final year of his contract and go again.
Asked for his thoughts on the matter for TalkSPORT, Murphy claimed that the decision made Liverpool less likely to challenge Man City and Arsenal in 2026/27.
“I’m a bit torn. I’m surprised by that,” he said. “My gut feeling is Liverpool, generally, when the fans have turned to the level they have is that there’s no comeback.”
READ MORE: When Liverpool will actually decide the future of Arne Slot as manager
“The finishing in the top five is obviously going to help his argument, because you’ve still got the revenue of Champions League football.
“I don’t know the hierarchy and how they think and what their plan is for the summer, but I will tell you that whoever is in charge, whether it’s him or someone else, there’s a lot of work to be done. Players leaving, players coming in. It’s going to be a big summer at Liverpool, which sounds ridiculous considering what went on last summer.
“There’s a minority [of fans] who think he should stay,” Murphy added. “I think from a footballing perspective, if you look at how bad Liverpool have been and how many games they’ve lost, there’s a feeling that they’re [the players] not hearing him. It’s very hard to get that back once it’s gone.”
Who should Slot start up front against Crystal Palace? 🤔
“I don’t see them becoming title contenders next season if he stays. Not just because of him, but I think they’d have more chance to go back to the type of football that Liverpool fans want [if Slot left], because I don’t think he’s going to do it. That high-energy, high-press type of football.”
A lot will of course depend on how the Liverpool squad looks when the curtain comes up on the next campaign.
If the Reds have addressed the issues they’ve needed to, then perhaps Slot and his team will come out of it and surprise Murphy and their detractors.
However, more churn is likely to only breed further disruption, and with the current boss at the helm, things could easily get away from Liverpool very quickly again.
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