Pressure is growing on Arne Slot, and speculation continues on the future of his position as manager of Liverpool.
The Reds crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night following a 4-0 aggregate defeat to PSG, ending any hopes they had of lifting silverware this season.
Slot secured the league title in his first season, but this campaign has been disappointing with not only results but performances too after the club spent a significant amount in the summer transfer window.
Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy has been speaking on talkSPORT about Slot’s involvement with the summer signings and his failure to get the best from this Liverpool squad this campaign, questioning whether he will be trusted to have a say on recruitment in preparation for next season.
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Murphy said: “Because of this disappointment with the new signings, which he was a part of, apparently, we think he is. Would you then go again with another £250 [million] or whatever they are going to spend with the same people in charge?
“The argument is, whoever you bring in, are they going to get dictated to, by a degree, by [sporting director] Richard Hughes and [CEO of football] Michael Edwards.
“My feeling is, and it always has been, that Slot’s say on some of these signings is minimal.”
Fans of the current Premier League champions seem to be leaning towards wanting a change at the helm of the club, with Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso appearing to be the figure supporters want, and Murphy feels if these feelings become vocal in the stadium, the hand may be forced for those at the top of the Reds to call time on Slot’s tenure.
Murphy said: “Ultimately, the problem the owners at Liverpool have got is they have got a situation where the pressure on the manager is big and the expectation is big.
“If it becomes toxic, week in, week out, a really negative environment for the players to try to thrive in, it becomes very difficult.
“From what I can see on the outside, I would make a change.”
Liverpool’s 2003 player of the season believes that the club should replace Slot as manager, suggesting that there is a lack of identity to their tactical approach.
He said: “From week to week, the formation is changing, the personnel is changing; the fans [are saying], where are we going? What are we doing? They are not seeing that.
“[Jurgen] Klopp got away with a couple of bad seasons because fans could see the identity and what he wanted the team to do.”
Topics: Arne Slot, Danny Murphy, Liverpool, Premier League
Brendan McGilligan