Arne Slot given ultimatum to drop ‘disgraceful’ Liverpool star or get the sack

Nov 26, 2025 - 23:45

Ex-Liverpool star Dietmar Hamann believes Arne Slot must drop Mohamed Salah to avoid losing his job as Reds head coach.

The reigning Premier League champions hit rock bottom on Wednesday night with a shocking 4-1 defeat at home to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Salah and Slot were a match made in heaven last season – but the last few months have led to a full-blown crisis

It is their third consecutive defeat by three goals and their ninth loss in 12 matches – which is now the club’s worst run of form for more than 70 years – and saw them booed off by the Anfield faithful.

After spending a record £450million in the summer, there are now serious questions over the future of Slot, who guided Liverpool to the title in his first season just a matter of months ago.

And Hamann, who won the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, insists the Dutchman cannot escape this crisis if he continues to pick Salah.

The Egyptian talisman has been a shadow of his former self this season, failing to reach the prolific standards that makes him Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all-time.

After another poor display, Hamann had a clear message for Slot. He told RTE Sport: “You’ve got to make a decision.

“In a way, I like that he kept the team from the other day, because he gave them a chance to redeem themselves.

“But then again, there comes a point when you’ve got to drop players. And even big players.

“I thought Salah might be one of the first ones to be dropped. He’s got a decision to make: do you get the sack with Salah? Or keep your job without him?

“This is the decision he has to make. He’s got to think, ‘These are the players who give me the best chance’.

“He gave him [Salah] a chance. I think it will be a different story on Sunday.”

Captain Virgil van Dijk has copped much of the criticism for a bizarre handball that led to the first PSV goal, while defensive partner Ibrahima Konate is also being heavily scrutinised for the latest in a string of suspect performances.

But Hamann insists that besides his disappointing display in front of goal, Salah was ‘disgraceful’ with his defending for the second PSV goal from Guus Til.

The former midfielder added: “What Salah did for the second PSV goal… Slot had the chance to take him off straight away.

“What he did there was disgraceful. For a player with the calibre of Salah… and it pains me to say. He’s been the guy who has been carrying the team for the last seven or eight years.

“But the way he let the player go past him without doing anything to help the team…”

Slot addresses questions over his future

Earlier on Wednesday, Hamann joined talkSPORT and expressed his doubts over Slot’s future in the Anfield dugout.

Arne Slot dejected during Liverpool's defeat to PSV — Slot is facing very real doubts over his future as Liverpool manager

The Liverpool manager was asked directly whether questions over his position are justified following his team’s latest damning defeat.

He said: “I don’t think it’s important if it’s fair or not. It’s normal.

“I understand if any manager around the world loses football games, let alone as many as we have lost, it’s quite normal that people have an opinion about that.

“Whether it’s fair or not is for the people to judge, but that is normal. If you lose so many times, people start talking about that.”