Liverpool tipped to raid Premier League rivals for new manager as pressure piles on Arne Slot

Apr 4, 2026 - 18:45
Liverpool tipped to raid Premier League rivals for new manager as pressure piles on Arne Slot

Andoni Iraola could come into consideration for the Liverpool job this summer amid major uncertainty over the future of Arne Slot.

Liverpool made a disastrous start to their season run-in as they were beaten 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
Slot has overseen another defeat during a tough second season at Liverpool
Getty

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as the Reds fell to their heaviest loss in the competition for 80 years on Saturday afternoon.

Mohamed Salah, who leaves at the end of the season, also missed a penalty in a result that has piled pressure on the under-fire Slot.

Next up is a daunting Champions League quarter-final first leg away to holders Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, live on talkSPORT.

And talkSPORT host Adrian Durham questioned if Liverpool will have to make a decision on Slot should they suffer a heavy defeat in Paris.

In response, commentator Jim Proudfoot hinted that they could turn to Bournemouth boss Iraola should there be a change at Anfield.

“There will definitely be a decision to be made,” he said. “I reckon, with no inside track, that they will keep faith with him, because he’s got enough in the bank over what happened over the course of last season, that they would stick with him for the rest of this season.

“All that would matter is that they finish in the top five to make sure that they were playing Champions League football again next season.

“I think some of the people that you could imagine being his successor are already available. Some of those aren’t, Andoni Iraola for instance.

“Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s technical director, is a massive admirer. Brought him in at Bournemouth, he’s done nothing at Bournemouth that would mean his stock has dropped in any way.

“He’s out of contract in the summer, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he was one that they wanted to speak to, along with the likes of Xabi Alonso and everybody else.”

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola.
Iraola has been tipped as a potential successor to Slot
Getty
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool will stick with Slot beyond the summer
Getty

Proudfoot added: “So, I would think that there’s got to be a chance that he [Slot] will still be in (the job) in the summer, but will he still be there at the start of next season?

“I think that all depends on what happens from here on in.”

Who could be the next Liverpool manager?

It’s been almost a year since Liverpool won the Premier League title, but Slot’s tenure appears to be coming to a sorry end.

PSG will be the favourites in their European clash this week, so the race for Champions League qualification is set to be their final aim.

Speculation over a managerial change has rumbled on for most of the season, with Alonso arguably the standout candidate.

The former Spanish international, who won the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup at Liverpool, is currently without a club.

Xabi Alonso reacting during Real Madrid match
Alonso is a name that has been linked to Liverpool should Slot go
AFP

Alonso won the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen without losing a single match in 2024 before taking the Real Madrid job last year.

However, he left the Bernabeu in January, a day after their Supercopa de Espana defeat to rivals Barcelona.

Iraola may also be an candidate, but talkSPORT understands Bournemouth are optimistic of persuading him to commit his future.

The Spaniard was interviewed by Tottenham Hotspur last summer before they hired Thomas Frank.

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