Arne Slot's Liverpool fate decided as Richard Hughes makes PIVOTAL contract call

Arne Slot was appointed Liverpool head coach back in summer 2024 - following the departure of Jurgen Klopp.

The Dutchman, 47, moved to Anfield from Feyenoord - with sporting director Richard Hughes opting to pay a sizeable compensation fee to the Eredivisie side for Slot.

It paid immediate dividends - with Slot winning the Premier League title at the first time of asking and doing so largely with the same squad of players left to him by Klopp.

Slot looked destined to enjoy a long and prosperous Liverpool coaching career - but events have taken a dangerous turn this season.

Poor Liverpool season could cost Slot

The Merseysiders have recently steadied the ship results-wise but a dreadful run of form in the autumn and early winter has seen the side all but surrender their top-flight crown.

The head coach has been unable to get the best out of his new signings - £450m worth of new players who arrived over the summer.

Questions are currently being asked about Slot’s unappealing style of football meanwhile and his future at Anfield is less clear-cut than it once might have been.

A curious detail over Slot’s appointment is that he was only signed on a three-year deal - to 2027.

That was quite a short contract duration in comparison to deals offered at other clubs and may have hinted that Liverpool were leaving themselves some wiggle room in case they decided to dispense with his services.

Liverpool SHELVE Arne Slot contract talks

Making around £6.5m per year Slot is not among the best-paid Premier League bosses and therefore compensation due if he was sacked would be limited.

However that title win made it probable that Hughes would offer a new contract to his head coach in order to safeguard his Anfield future.

A pay rise and extended terms would have been a just reward for the tactician - but that is less secure a prospect these days following Liverpool’s poor form.

Indeed a report in TEAMtalk is now claiming that contract talks between Slot and the club have been placed on the backburner - and that a review of the coach’s performances will take place instead at the end of the current campaign.

Four names under consideration

“While Slot’s position is secure as it stands, a comprehensive review is planned at the season’s end to assess his long-term fit at Anfield,” the report reads.

“Contract talks for an extension – once seen as inevitable after last season’s triumph – have been shelved amid the current form dip.

“An end-of-season verdict will ultimately decide if Slot’s project continues – or if Anfield welcomes a new era once more.”

The report goes on to mention FOUR head coaches under consideration by decision-makers at Anfield in case Slot’s services are no longer required.

Oliver Glasner of Crystal Palace heads the list having led the South London side to Europe and winning the FA Cup. Then there’s Roberto De Zerbi - once a frontrunner to replace Klopp but who chose Marseille after leaving Brighton.

Richard Hughes led the appointment of Andoni Iraola when he was technical director at Bournemouth and the Spaniard is once again on the radar at Anfield.

And finally there’s Francesco Farioli - who is rebuilding his reputation at Porto following a difficult spell at Ajax.

That means considerable uncertainty will continue to reign over the future of Arne Slot - who desperately needs a strong second half of the season in order to stay in the Anfield dugout.

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