Slot Under Strain as Liverpool’s Season Reaches Critical Juncture
Liverpool’s hierarchy has entered uncomfortable territory once again as questions escalate around Arne Slot’s future, with pressure intensifying after a damaging 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. A sequence of six losses in seven Premier League matches has led to growing concern inside the club, while the broader picture – eight defeats in 11 across all competitions – has forced an internal reassessment of a campaign that has unravelled alarmingly early.
Klopp Precedent Keeps FSG Alert
Slot retains goodwill after last season’s achievements, and chairman Tom Werner reaffirmed that position only days before the Forest loss. Yet history shows that FSG are prepared to be decisive when they believe a turning point has been reached. Their most recent act of removing a Liverpool manager came a decade ago, when Brendan Rodgers was dismissed in 2015.
Rodgers had been backed in the transfer window ahead of the 2015/16 season, much like Slot was this summer, albeit on a smaller budget. But when results faltered and Liverpool stagnated in mid-table, patience wore thin. A 1-1 draw with Everton proved the tipping point, and Rodgers received the phone call shortly after full-time from FSG president Mike Gordon. Few will forget the moment Thierry Henry placed a sympathetic hand on Jamie Carragher’s knee as news broke live on air.
What appeared sudden from the outside had, in reality, been meticulously prepared. FSG had quietly spent two weeks sounding out the man they believed could redefine Liverpool’s trajectory: Jürgen Klopp.
Klopp’s Secret Talks Reveal FSG Approach
Speaking openly about that period years later, Klopp shed light on how those first discussions developed away from public view.
“The first meeting was in New York, that’s true,” he reflected. “But the first phone call with Mike was before that… I had time off. I knew someone from FSG was going to call. We spoke for an hour on the phone. I obviously convinced him in a way that he wanted to meet in New York to bring the deal over the line.”
Liverpool and Klopp managed to keep their six-hour New York summit hidden from scrutiny, with Klopp even insisting at the time that he had travelled to the United States to watch basketball. Those conversations ultimately reshaped Liverpool’s modern era.
That background now serves as a reminder: if FSG decide change is required, they are capable of moving discreetly and with precision.
Slot Faces Crucial Weeks Under FSG’s Gaze
There is currently no indication that Liverpool have entered a similar phase of covert succession planning. But the warning signs are clear. Werner’s presence at Anfield for the Forest defeat underscored the seriousness with which the club is monitoring Slot’s situation. Performances have grown increasingly disjointed, and the substantial summer investment has yet to yield cohesion or a clear identity on the pitch.
Slot must now find a way to stabilise a team low on confidence and rhythm. With the title defence already faltering after just 12 league fixtures, he cannot afford for this downward trend to continue. Should results fail to improve quickly, FSG may be compelled into making only their second managerial change in ten years.
For a club accustomed to long-term vision and stability, such moments are rare. But Liverpool’s owners have demonstrated before that sentiment does not override the need to protect the team’s competitive future. Slot now stands at a crossroads, with little margin for further decline.
