Sacked Slot emerges as AC Milan candidate hours after Liverpool exit

Arne Slot has emerged as a frontrunner to take charge at AC Milan, just hours after Liverpool confirmed his departure as head coach on Saturday with immediate effect.

Slot’s exit follows a dismal conclusion to the 2025/26 Premier League season. Despite securing Champions League football, Liverpool ended the campaign on a four-match winless run, with supporters jeering the side off the pitch in each of their final two home fixtures at Anfield. The club pulled the trigger six days after the Premier League season concluded.

According to the Daily Mail, Slot is already being considered a leading candidate for the AC Milan vacancy. Milan dismissed Massimiliano Allegri following a 2-1 defeat to Cagliari last Sunday — a result that cost the club their place in next season’s Champions League. Alongside Allegri, the club also axed sporting director Igli Tare, CEO Giorgio Furlani and technical director Geoffrey Moncada in a statement released on Monday.

Milan had been on course to secure a top-four finish for much of the season but fell away in the final weeks, ultimately finishing fifth — one point behind fourth-place Como — after managing only two wins in their last eight matches. The club will now compete in the Europa League in 2026/27, alongside Juventus, who finished sixth, a single point further back.

Antonio Conte, Oliver Glasner, Marcelino and Unai Emery are also understood to be high on Milan’s shortlist. Milan have held talks with Andoni Iraola, who left Bournemouth last Sunday, but the Spaniard is reported to be holding out for an approach from Liverpool, where he is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Slot. Former Crystal Palace manager Glasner, Lens head coach Pierre Sage and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann are also in contention for the Anfield role.

Slot is believed to be free to hold discussions with interested clubs under the terms of his Liverpool exit, though it remains unclear whether he will take time away before returning to management. The 46-year-old took over from Jurgen Klopp in 2024 and won the Premier League title in his debut season, before a significant summer outlay failed to yield a sustained title challenge in his second campaign.