May 19, 2024, will forever be remembered by many Liverpool supporters as the day an era ended. It was the day Jurgen Klopp bid farewell to Anfield after nine unforgettable years, leaving behind a legacy that most managers can only dream of.
During his time at Liverpool, Klopp won eight major trophies the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, two EFL Cups, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the FA Community Shield. More than the silverware, he restored pride, belief, and a winning mentality to a club that had spent years searching for its way back to the top.
On May 20, 2024, Liverpool announced Arne Slot as Klopp’s replacement. Slot officially took charge on June 1, 2024, after signing a three-year contract until 2027.
In his first season, the players performed well, the results came quickly, and Liverpool won the Premier League title.
But a big question remained , was this success really because of Slot, or was he simply continuing the work Klopp had already done?
When Klopp left, he did not leave behind a struggling team. He left a strong squad filled with quality players, experienced leaders, and a winning mentality. Much of the team that won the Premier League under Slot was built by Klopp over several years.
The 2025/26 season told a very different story for Liverpool. After winning the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first season, many fans believed the club was ready to dominate English football once again.
Expectations were high, and supporters hoped Slot would build on that success and take Liverpool to even greater heights. Instead, the season turned into one of disappointment, frustration, and unanswered questions.
Liverpool showed moments of quality throughout the campaign, but they were unable to perform consistently. The team struggled to keep up with the league’s strongest sides and often dropped important points. Rather than defending their Premier League title or finishing in the top three, Liverpool ended the season in fifth place. For a club of Liverpool’s size and ambition, that was seen as a major disappointment by both the fans and the club’s management.
As the season went on, reports of problems behind the scenes started to appear. One of the biggest talking points was the relationship between Arne Slot and Mohamed Salah. Salah had been Liverpool’s star player for years, scoring goals season after season and helping the club win some of the biggest trophies in football.
Things appeared to change during the second half of the season. Salah was surprisingly left on the bench for several important matches and was no longer a regular starter.
The tension between Salah and Slot appeared to reach breaking point in November and December 2025 when Salah was left on the bench for three matches in a row. After Liverpool’s dramatic 3-3 draw against Leeds United, Salah publicly showed his frustration, claiming that he had been “thrown under the bus” and made a scapegoat for the team’s poor results. His comments quickly made headlines and increased speculation that his relationship with the manager had broken down.
On March 24, 2026, Salah confirmed in a video posted on his social media accounts, he announced that he had reached an agreement with Liverpool to leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer.
Salah’s departure only increased the pressure on Arne Slot. With Liverpool struggling on the pitch and questions being asked about what was happening behind the scenes, many wondered whether he would remain in charge.
Their answer came a few weeks later. On May 30, 2026, Liverpool shocked the football world by announcing that Arne Slot had been sacked as manager. Despite winning the Premier League in his first season, a disappointing fifth-place finish, growing tensions within the squad, and the departure of Mohamed Salah proved too much for the club’s leadership.
The next man in line is Andoni Iraola, who has officially been announced as the new Liverpool manager, signing a two-year contract after Arne Slot’s departure.
Before arriving at Anfield, Iraola built his coaching reputation at Rayo Vallecano, where he guided the team to promotion to La Liga, and later at AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.
