Liverpool Stay Among Europe’s Elite As Arne Slot Reflects On Departure

Arne Slot has thanked Liverpool supporters in an open letter after losing the head coach role, stressing how vital Champions League qualification is for the club. Slot, aged 47, departed following Liverpool’s 2025-26 campaign, and used the public message to underline both personal gratitude and the importance of competing among Europe’s top sides.

Liverpool removed Slot on Saturday after the Premier League title defence slipped to a fifth-place finish in 2025-26, 25 points behind champions Arsenal. The team failed to win any of the final four league matches, drawing two and losing two, yet a last-day draw with Brentford still secured Champions League football.

Slot leaves after 113 matches in charge across all competitions, with 66 victories, 19 draws and 28 defeats, and 224 goals scored. That record gave Slot a 58.4% win rate, which is second among Liverpool managers only to Jurgen Klopp’s 60.9%. Slot also became the fifth manager to win the Premier League in a debut season.

Results declined sharply in 2025-26, however, with Liverpool losing 19 matches in all competitions. Since their promotion back to the top flight in 1962, only the 1992-93 season brought more defeats, with 20. The club had also lost 19 games in both 2004-05 and 2009-10, highlighting how difficult Slot’s second campaign became.

In the open letter, carried by the Liverpool Echo, Slot focused on the emotional link with fans as much as results on the pitch. Slot wrote: "The connection we share goes beyond football, beyond European nights under the Anfield lights or the sound of Youll Never Walk Alone being sung from The Kop."

In the same message, Slot directly addressed the fanbase and reflected on the title win, long-term aims and the future squad, while stressing that securing Champions League football was part of the responsibility attached to managing Liverpool.

Slot continued: "You made me feel welcome from the start and helped me on the path. That is something I cherish. Of course, it is important to say thank you. Liverpools 20th league title belongs to all of us and it will remain an important chapter in its history. For that we should all be proud. This club will always judge itself by the biggest honours. That is how it should be. But I also leave knowing the club is exactly where it belongs: amongst Europes elite. Securing Champions League football was an important responsibility and one that ensures Liverpool can continue competing at the highest level next season and beyond. A new generation is emerging, ready to write its own story and embrace the responsibility that comes with wearing this shirt. Change is part of football, but I know that this club will continue to make its people proud."

The letter closes with Slot accepting that change is routine in football while stressing pride in Liverpool’s 20th league title, the club’s position in the Champions League and the promise of younger players. Slot departs Anfield with mixed statistics, yet with Liverpool still placed among Europe’s elite for the coming campaign.