Fowler: Liverpool players will feel excitement, not just sadness, after Slot's sacking

Arne Slot was dismissed by Liverpool on Saturday morning, ending a two-year tenure that included a Premier League title in his first season but a difficult second campaign that ultimately cost him his job.

Robbie Fowler, who scored 171 goals for the club across two spells at Anfield, says the players’ reaction will be more nuanced than simple relief or grief. The former striker lived through multiple managerial transitions at Liverpool — from Graeme Souness to Roy Evans, and from Evans to Gérard Houllier — and believes a change in the dugout carries its own particular energy.

“I think there will be a little bit of excitement,” Fowler said. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not excitement about getting rid of the manager, it is excitement about the new plans, the new ideas, the training methods, the new everything.”

Fowler was quick to acknowledge that Slot will be genuinely missed inside the dressing room. The Dutchman made his mark from the moment he arrived, notably scrapping Jürgen Klopp’s requirement that players stay in a city-centre hotel before home fixtures — a small but symbolic shift in how the squad prepared for matches.

“I think there’ll be a lot of people in that dressing room who will be sad to see Arne go because they’ll have a good relationship,” Fowler added. “What we see on the outside is maybe different from what players and the coaches have to see within the four walls of the AXA.”

Beyond the emotional adjustment, Fowler pointed to the practical questions that immediately occupy players’ minds when a new manager arrives. “How are we going to play? How is the system going to be? Are we all going to fit into this system?” he said. “And then obviously the training regime — what do we do in training? Even the eating habits could change, in terms of where you eat or if you go to hotels before games.”

For Fowler, the ideal outcome of any managerial change is a training environment that brings out the best in players. “Football is about creating an environment and a training environment where players want to come in and train all the time and want to be the very best version of themselves,” he said.

Liverpool are targeting Andoni Iraola as Slot’s successor, with significant squad and backroom changes expected at Anfield over the summer.