Arne Slot Liverpool future is in doubt as Hughes eyes Iraola switch
Arne Slot Liverpool future – Following a deeply disappointing 2025–26 season, serious questions now surround whether Arne Slot will remain Liverpool‘s manager beyond the summer. French outlet Foot Mercato broke the story, and it carries real importance. Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, has grown disappointed by the current momentum under Slot, and the tide, according to the report, is turning very quickly. Hughes has consequently discreetly activated a lead he knows well, Andoni Iraola, the Bournemouth manager he personally brought to the Cherries during his own tenure on the south coast.
Liverpool, the defending Premier League champions, having won the title last season, have failed badly to defend that crown, finishing fifth and securing only Europa League football at minimum, with 59 points from 37 games. That represents a steep drop from the dominance they showed just twelve months ago. The Xabi Alonso option, which Liverpool privately explored, has since disappeared entirely, with the Spanish coach now headed to Chelsea instead. Hughes has turned his attention firmly to Iraola.
What makes Iraola the right option for Arne Slot Liverpool future concerns?
Iraola is no speculative punt. He guided Bournemouth to a sixth-place finish this season and is set to leave the Cherries when his contract expires. Jamie Redknapp has publicly called him “elite,” and Emile Heskey echoed that verdict. Crystal Palace had been in contact with Iraola ahead of a possible appointment, but Anfield now appears to be his destination. Hughes knows him personally, trusts his methods, and understands his tactics. That pre-existing relationship matters enormously in a high-profile appointment.
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The verdict on Arne Slot Liverpool future, and what Liverpool should actually do
Liverpool should move on from Slot. Brutal, perhaps, given he won them a title in 2024–25, but football at this level rarely rewards sentiment. The 2025–26 campaign has been a regression on almost every front; tactically disjointed, defensively fragile, and clearly short of the intensity that defined last season. Iraola, for his part, has shown at Bournemouth that he can extract maximum output from a squad with limited resources, build coherent defensive structures, and establish a clear identity quickly.
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He ticks every box Hughes values. Appointing him would send a decisive message that Liverpool expect to compete, not consolidate. The Europa League is not Anfield’s ceiling, and a fresh voice in the summer, rather than a prolonged, destabilising wait, gives the club the best possible chance to reset before the 2026–27 season begins.
[…] Liverpool have identified the perfect replacement for Slot in this Spanish tactician […]