Jamie Carragher reveals major concern over Andoni Iraola after breaking silence on Arne Slot sacking

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has broken his silence on Arne Slot’s sacking while revealing the biggest concern he has about the potential appointment of Andoni Iraola.

Slot and Liverpool parted ways after two seasons on Saturday (May 30), with the Dutchman leaving Anfield with a record of 66 wins, 18 draws and 29 defeats from 113 matches in charge.

The 47-year-old also remains one of only two men – alongside Jurgen Klopp – to guide Liverpool to a Premier League title, with the former Feyenoord boss leading the Reds to glory in 2025.

Twelve months on, most supporters appear happy with the club’s decision, with many criticising Slot’s at-times “boring” style of play. Mohamed Salah also called for a return to the “heavy metal football” seen under former head coach Klopp.

In a statement posted on social media earlier in May, Salah said: "I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies."

Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League last term and failed to win a trophy.

Departing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, who has also been the subject of interest from AC Milan, Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen, is the favourite to succeed Slot at Anfield after guiding the Cherries to a record-high sixth-place finish and, in doing so, securing Europa League qualification last term.

While Iraola remains the heavy favourite, the Reds are also considering Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeneß, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner and Lens boss Pierre Sage.

Gerrard thinks Iraola will rise above the pressure

Speaking at the Champions League final in Budapest, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard acknowledged that the Spaniard may be a good fit for the Merseyside club.

“I think potentially, yes [Iraola is the right man for Liverpool],” he told TNT Sports.

“He's done a fabulous job at Bournemouth, his style would suit Liverpool. Let's not beat around the bush, Liverpool is an attractive job for managers around the world. Because of the link to Bournemouth, they will know him very well. It's a huge job in world football and, potentially, I think he should be in the conversation."

On Sunday morning (May 31), Gerrard’s former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher also weighed in with his thoughts while once again hitting out at Salah’s conduct.

After explaining that he was “surprised” by the club’s decision, he told Sky Sports: “A lot of what has been coming out of the club was what the manager was saying. Arne Slot was saying in his press conferences that he was close to appointing a coach, so there's no way the club sanctioned that if they thought he wasn't going to be in charge. I think it's sudden and has caught everyone off guard, including Arne Slot.

"I was torn on Arne Slot, I must say. I would've backed any decision and I can see both sides of the argument, but an elite football manager finds a way to fix Liverpool and make it better. He wasn't helped by recruitment. Have any of them done well?

"You could put that on the manager. Does he need to get more out of them? Should those players have done more? Yes. Should the people above him have given him a better squad? Yes. There's a lot of people to point fingers at."

He then mentioned Salah’s conduct, claiming: “I'm not happy with that.”

"There is no doubt that he lost supporters,” he continued. “I think that was harsh on the back of what happened 12 months before. The supporter base has a huge influence and, when you talk about player power, that can't have helped with Salah. I'm not happy with that. I don't ever want Liverpool Football Club to have player power and for players to speak out about a manager who won the Premier League.

"What manager does it help when a star player comes out publicly criticising the manager? That shouldn't happen, no matter the situation. Maybe it's forced the club's hand, but the performances have been poor. My fear was that Liverpool might have found themselves in a situation similar to Manchester United, where they have a manager they're unsure about, stick with him in the summer and end up changing him two months later. You're almost wasting a year.

"I don't know what goes on in the dressing room. I didn't like Mo Salah's post and I didn't think he should come out publicly. Who gets on with every manager?

"Players have lots of different managers, but you don't go out on social media and do it publicly or post clapping emojis when someone's having a go at your own manager. That probably tells you what's going on in the Liverpool dressing room right now. It shows it's not as easy a job as it looks from the outside, so the new man coming in will have to sort that dressing room out."

Carragher’s biggest concern about Iraola

Moving on to the potential appointment of Iraola, Carragher expressed concern about his intense playing style during what will once again be a hectic season next term with Liverpool set to compete across four competitions – the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League and Premier League.

“He's done a brilliant job [at Bournemouth]” the former defender added. “There are still huge question marks. The football is something Liverpool want to get back to – high-intensity football – but it's not all about that when you're Liverpool manager.

"That was what worried me. Liverpool off the ball were so poor. He's fantastic at that, but with the ball and when it comes to dealing with low blocks, that's a different challenge.

"My worry is: can you play at that intensity when you're playing every three days? Whenever you bring in a manager for a top club in England, can they win the league? Liverpool had a manager who won the league, which is why I was always torn. Whoever comes in is a risk, but Liverpool did have a manager who won the league."