Liverpool have confirmed head coach Arne Slot will leave the club with immediate effect.
The Dutchman led the Reds to the Premier League title in his first season at the club in 2024-25 but was unable to replicate that success this term, with the club finishing the campaign in fifth place.
Arne Slot won the Premier League with Liverpool in his first season, but the club failed to defend their title in the 2025-26 season and finished fifth. Michael Regan/Getty Images Liverpool's hierarchy continued to back Slot throughout a turbulent season -- including during a period when his side lost nine out of 12 games in all competitions -- but sources told ESPN the feeling inside Anfield was that change was inevitable this summer.
Slot's brand of football has been widely criticized for being too pedestrian this term and sources told ESPN the club is targeting a more attack-minded, aggressive style of play. The decision to sack Slot was a reluctant one, with the Liverpool hierarchy appreciative of the scale of his achievement after replacing Jurgen Klopp in the dugout in the summer of 2024.
However, sources told ESPN the club believe a managerial change will give Liverpool the best chance of success moving forward, with the search for his successor underway.
Among the candidates linked with the role is Andoni Iraola, who will leave AFC Bournemouth following the expiration of his contract this summer, having guided the club to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
Last season saw Liverpool finish with just 60 points, their lowest total for a decade, with 19 losses in all competitions. Slot's assignment was complicated by injuries to key players -- such as £125 million Alexander Isak -- and the aftermath of a difficult summer following the death of striker Diogo Jota last July.
A joint statement from Liverpool owners Saturday said: "That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying.
"The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and -- most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves -- successful.
"At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward.
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