Liverpool head coach Arne Slot could be sacked over the international break with Xabi Alonso in ‘advanced talks’ to take over, according to reports.
The Reds have been in poor form in the Premier League this season with Slot’s side losing to Brighton at the weekend in their tenth league defeat of the campaign.
Liverpool are still clinging on to fifth place but Chelsea are just one point behind, while Brentford and Everton are now just three points adrift.
Slot will be hoping to grab Champions League qualification, which is likely from finishing fifth in the Premier League, and look to win the Champions League or FA Cup.
However, the Dutchman may not get the opportunity to do so with reports in Spain claiming that Liverpool could sack him over the international break.
The report claims: ‘Arne Slot’s position at Liverpool is increasingly under scrutiny, and he could be sacked in the coming days.
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‘Following the defeat to Brighton during the international break, there’s a chance he won’t continue in his role. And Xabi Alonso is the leading candidate to replace him.’
Liverpool are in ‘advanced talks’ with Alonso as they look to line up his replacement with the former Real Madrid head coach ‘clear that he doesn’t want to spend a year resting without training; he wants to return as soon as possible’.
However, Liverpool Echo reporter Paul Gorst insists that any appointment mid-season is a ‘non-starter’ despite pressure building on Slot.
Gorst wrote: ‘When Liverpool searched for Jurgen Klopp‘s successor, it was one that took the best part of six months before Slot emerged as the preferred candidate and the enormous dossier produced on the Dutchman by the club, which was said to have been around 60 pages, was indicative of how meticulous they were in their recruitment drive.
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‘It’s why the idea of dispensing with Slot now and bringing in a stop-gap appointment in the manner of United with interim boss Michael Carrick is simply a non-starter. The time for judgement will come at the end of the season.’
Responding to speculation around his job, Slot told reporters: “It makes complete sense if you win the win league last season and you’ve spent £150m – not £450m – that expectations are high.
“And those expectations were high for the pundits, for the media, for me, for the fans.
“But still it’s not good enough, no matter how many excuses I can come up with. It’s still not good enough in the position we’re in right now.”
