"I don't think I am deciding that alone by myself, but I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season." Arne Slot said it plainly, directly, and without much of a safety net — which is either confident or bold depending on how the next two fixtures go.
Liverpool haven't won the Premier League. They haven't secured Champions League football yet. They need six points from trips to Aston Villa and a home game against Brentford just to guarantee their place in Europe's top competition next season. For a club that strolled to the title twelve months ago, that's not a rough patch — that's a collapse in expectations.
The Xabi Alonso shadow
The backdrop to all of this is Xabi Alonso, who was dismissed by Real Madrid in January after less than six months at the Bernabeu and has since been attached to Liverpool's dugout in the way transfer rumours tend to snowball once a club looks shaky. The legend returning to save the club — it writes itself. That's exactly why Slot had to say something.
To his credit, he didn't dodge it. He acknowledged the season has fallen short, distributed the blame evenly across players, staff, and himself, and then said something that actually landed: "If you don't win the league, criticism comes. We have all had our share." That's not a man in denial. That's someone who's watched enough football to know how this works.
His pub analogy was the most revealing moment. "If I read what they are saying they must have drunk a little bit" — there's a manager who has clearly been reading the comments. Fair enough. The internet didn't invent scrutiny, it just amplified it.
Planning for next season — with or without the noise
What matters more than the words is what Slot says he's already doing. Transfer talks are underway. Pre-season tour logistics are in place. He's directly involved in discussions with potential signings. That's not a manager waiting to hear his fate — that's one who either has genuine assurances from the board, or is moving forward regardless.
Whether Liverpool's hierarchy actually back that up depends entirely on what happens at Villa Park. A defeat there, followed by anything less than a win against Brentford, and the Champions League place disappears. At that point the conversation shifts fast, and Slot's contract won't be the loudest voice in the room.
He's contracted. He's planning. He says the talks back him up. Now he needs the results to match.
