Liverpool sack Arne Slot after fifth-place finish with Iraola as top target

Liverpool have sacked head coach Arne Slot with immediate effect after a difficult second season at Anfield, with the club confirming the decision and stating that the process to appoint a successor is already under way. Andoni Iraola, who left Bournemouth at the end of the season, is the club’s primary target to replace him.

Slot’s departure comes after Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League in 2025-26, managing just 60 points — 24 fewer than the Dutchman accumulated in his debut campaign, when he won the title and was named LMA Manager of the Year. The Reds were beaten 19 times across all competitions this season, a record that ultimately prompted Fenway Sports Group to act despite Slot having one year remaining on his contract.

In a statement, the club acknowledged Slot’s contributions across both seasons: “Having joined the club in June 2024, Arne went on to deliver our 20th league title in his first season in charge… He subsequently oversaw Champions League qualification for a second successive season in 2025-26 as the Reds also reached the quarter-finals of the same competition.”

The statement continued: “That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and — most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves — successful.”

Iraola, 43, left Bournemouth after guiding them to sixth place and a Europa League berth, capping the season with an 18-game unbeaten run. The Spaniard is in high demand, with Crystal Palace also pursuing him to replace the outgoing Oliver Glasner, and Bayer Leverkusen reported to have held advanced talks with him. Palace are understood to have set Iraola a deadline of the end of this weekend to make a decision.

Liverpool’s offer is expected to carry significant weight. Iraola is understood to prefer remaining in the Premier League after three seasons with Bournemouth, and the prospect of managing in the Champions League — which Liverpool have qualified for despite their domestic struggles — makes the role an attractive proposition.