Liverpool Confirm Arne Slot Departure After Challenging Second Season At Anfield

Liverpool have confirmed the departure of Arne Slot after a difficult 2025-26 campaign, his second season in charge. Liverpool finished 25 points behind champions Arsenal yet still claimed fifth place and Champions League qualification. Despite that achievement, the club decided to end Slot’s tenure with immediate effect and start looking for a new head coach.

During Slot’s spell at Liverpool, the head coach took charge of 113 matches in all competitions. Liverpool won 66 games, drew 18 and lost 29, giving an average of 1.91 points per match and a win rate of 58.4%. Those figures sit alongside a season where Liverpool collected only 60 league points.

Slot’s first year at Anfield brought a Premier League title after replacing Jurgen Klopp in 2024. That success made Slot only the fifth manager to win the Premier League in a debut season, and the first since Antonio Conte, who led Chelsea to the 2016-17 title. Expectations inside and outside Liverpool rose sharply after that early triumph.

The club then backed Slot heavily in the transfer market before the 2025-26 season. Liverpool broke the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong also arrived. However, those high-profile signings did not bring the consistent impact Liverpool had planned.

Liverpool opened their title defence with five straight league wins, hinting at another challenge. Results and performances then dropped, and many supporters grew unhappy with Slot’s tactical approach and style of play. Liverpool’s league total of 60 points became the lowest by any team finishing fifth or higher since Tottenham earned 60 points in 2006-07.

The difficult year extended beyond the Premier League. Liverpool went out of the EFL Cup against Crystal Palace and then suffered a clear defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup. Paris Saint-Germain knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals, winning 4-0 on aggregate.

Liverpool’s overall number of defeats under Slot in 2025-26 was also notable. The team lost 19 matches in all competitions that season. Since Liverpool’s promotion to the top division in 1962, only the 1992-93 campaign brought more defeats, with 20, while Liverpool also recorded 19 losses in 2004-05 and 2009-10.

Liverpool released a statement confirming the managerial change and expressing thanks to Slot. "Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way. He leaves with a Premier League title to his name and our deepest gratitude and appreciation.

Attention now turns to the search for Slot’s replacement. Reports in England have linked Andoni Iraola with the Anfield position after guiding Bournemouth to the Europa League. Liverpool confirmed only that the recruitment process has started, while Slot departs carrying both a Premier League title and a challenging second campaign on record.