Arne Slot is expected to stay at Liverpool next season. The title defence collapsed almost immediately, and the Premier League campaign has frustrated supporters for months. But barring a disaster in the final five games, the Dutch manager keeps his job.
Liverpool sit fifth with seven points separating them from Chelsea in sixth. Fifth place gets Champions League football this season because Arsenal reaching the semi-finals opens an extra English spot. Nine more points from five games would seal it regardless of what happens elsewhere. Given their recent run, that is very much on.
The mood has shifted at Anfield
A few months ago, Slot looked genuinely vulnerable. The title defence was a mess — champions to mid-table in weeks, questions about his tactical setup getting louder, and the Salah fallout playing out very publicly. He took a lot of criticism for how that was handled, and some of it was fair.
But football moves on quickly when results improve. Liverpool beat Everton convincingly, Chelsea kept dropping points, and the gap that barely existed a month ago has opened to something manageable. Jamie Carragher said publicly that the noises he is hearing suggest Slot stays if they get Champions League football. The hierarchy at Anfield seem to agree.
The summer rebuild is happening either way
Slot staying does not mean a quiet summer. It will not be. Salah is leaving on a free after nine years, and replacing his output is not a one-player job. Yan Diomande at RB Leipzig has been mentioned as one forward target, but there are several positions under review across the squad.
Slot also has one year left on his contract after this one. If he does not sign an extension over the summer, Liverpool will head into 2026/27 with the same uncertainty hanging over the job that has been there all year. The short-term situation is stable. Everything beyond that is not.
Five games left
The remaining fixtures have tests in them, but nothing that should derail a team with a clear target and recent momentum. Nine points from five games is doable. If they get there, Slot gets another season. What he does with it — a rebuilt squad, a full pre-season, no Salah distraction — will tell us whether this year was a transition or the start of something worse.
Current standings context: Liverpool 5th | 5 games remaining | 7 points ahead of Chelsea in 6th | Need 9 more points to mathematically secure top-five finish | Champions League spot confirmed once top-five is secured (Arsenal's semi-final run opens extra English berth). Source: Sky Sports.
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