Under-fire Arne Slot expected to stay at Liverpool despite growing calls for change

The Dutch coach, who won the Premier League in his first season at Anfield, has faced far heavier scrutiny this time around as Liverpool have slipped badly behind the division's top sides and fallen short in every other major competition. They currently sit fifth in the table, 15 points behind leaders Arsenal, and while the season has not collapsed entirely, it has clearly failed to meet the standard expected at a club of Liverpool's size. 

Still, the current belief appears to be that Slot will stay. 

According to Sky Sports, Liverpool are planning to continue with the 47-year-old despite the decline in form, the lack of silverware , and the growing noise around his future. Much of that seems tied to the fact that Liverpool remain in a strong position to qualify for next season's Champions League, with a seven-point cushion over Chelsea helping to steady the wider picture. 

That potential qualification may end up being the key line between frustration and upheaval. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher added weight to that view on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, suggesting the most likely outcome is that Slot remains in charge if he delivers a top-four finish. 

"Maybe Liverpool fans are split on whether he should stay or go, but the information I am hearing is that Slot will continue as Liverpool manager next season if they qualify for the Champions League, which at the moment they are doing very well to achieve," Carragher said. 

That is an important distinction. The debate around Slot is clearly real, but inside the club , the threshold for change does not appear to have been crossed yet. 

Slot himself hinted at that earlier this month, saying he still feels fully backed by both the Liverpool hierarchy and the supporters, even as the pressure around him has intensified. 

"Everyone at the club knows the situation we are in, but I still feel their full support," he said in a press conference before the Fulham match on April 11. "It may sound strange, but I still feel a lot of support from the fans as well." 

Whether all supporters would agree with that is another matter, but the fact he said it at all suggests he does not currently feel like a manager on the verge of losing the dressing room or the boardroom. 

The season's numbers help explain why the mood is so mixed. Across 52 matches in all competitions in 2025-26, Liverpool have won 27 and lost 18, scoring 94 goals while conceding 71. Those figures show a team still capable of attacking output, but one that has lacked consistency, defensive control , and the ruthlessness needed to compete with the elite. Their recent Champions League exit to holders Paris Saint-Germain, a crushing 4-0 aggregate defeat in the quarter-finals, only sharpened the sense that Liverpool remains some distance from Europe's very best. 

That said, clubs do not always reset after every disappointing season, especially when there is still a realistic route back into the Champions League and the manager has not completely lost authority. 

Slot is under contract until June 2027, and for now, that deal still seems likely to be honored . 

For Liverpool, then, the situation is less about whether the pressure exists and more about whether the club views this season as a warning or a breaking point. At the moment, all signs suggest they are leaning toward warning.