Arne Slot ’90 minutes’ from Liverpool sack as journalist shares FSG’s breaking point

Arne Slot will need to keep Liverpool on the winning trail against Sunderland and Leeds this week to avoid further scrutiny on his future and, while a top journalist has revealed just how close he is to the sack, another has distanced the Reds from reported interest in an elite Premier League replacement.

The Premier League champions’ title defence has not gone to plan. A wretched run of nine defeats across 12 games going into last weekend had heaped huge pressure on Slot and it speculation that he was facing the sack was starting to reach fever pitch.

Indeed, heading to West Ham last Sunday, Slot and Liverpool were never more in need of a win.

Indeed, we had been told that a win against the Hammers was seen as a ‘non-negotiable’ towards the Dutchman’s chances of keeping the job and continuing at Anfield, so bad has their fall from grace been and with the situation exacerbated by a colossal £440m (€505m, $600m) summer spending spree.

Thankfully for Slot, Liverpool were able to stop the rot thanks to a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo.

However, the Dutchman is not out of the woods yet and he will still need to keep that forward momentum growing when they host Sunderland on Wednesday night and travel to Leeds on Saturday evening.

Revealing how a failure to win at West Ham would have seen him given his marching orders, Liverpool FC journalist David Lynch told Anfield Index:  “You knew coming into this that Liverpool needed a win because of the pressure that the manager was under.

“I do genuinely believe that if he had lost this game against West Ham, then that would’ve been the end of Arne Slot as Liverpool manager.”

Discussing FSG’s breaking point and why they would have been left with no choice but to call time on the Dutchman, Lynch added: “It seems crazy to say, but you can’t keep losing games and it gets to the point where there is a breaking point no matter how much belief you have in him.

“I think you needed to see a win and a performance; thankfully, I do think that you got both.”

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Slot not safe at Liverpool yet as Klopp, Glasner are ruled out

Lynch is adamant, however, that Slot is not safe yet, adding: “West Ham were awful and the acid test will be what comes from the next few games, because Liverpool will face harder tests.

“It’s important to say, though, that Arne Slot deserves a lot of credit for a very well-organised performance.”

In light of the pressure on the manager, potential replacements have already been touted as a replacement.

However, we have been told that the Reds have no plans to approach Oliver Glasner – one of the favourites for the job – anytime soon.

When asked if Glasner would be an option for Liverpool should Slot be sacked, journalist Dean Jones told TEAMtalk: “Glasner keeps being mentioned as the next Liverpool boss, and obviously, whenever a manager looks in danger, it is natural that people start to speculate.

“But all the information I hear and trust out of Liverpool is that there is no shortlist to succeed Slot.

“I’m told there are no contingency plans being set up in case Slot loses his job, so as far as I am aware from making checks on this, there is no firm route to Glasner.”

At the same time, Fabrizio Romano has also distanced Liverpool from links to former boss Jurgen Klopp.

“Despite all the questions that I am getting, I am not aware of Liverpool having any sort of contract with Jurgen Klopp,” Romano stated.

“The situation of Arne Slot, we know, they need to fix this situation.

“They won the last game against West Ham, so Liverpool are trying to get out of the negative moment, but all the rumours about Jurgen Klopp, guys, at this stage, the message coming is quite clear.

“No conversations, no talks over Jurgen Klopp return at Liverpool.

“The club is fully focused on the project the Red Bull group is having.

“And so, that’s the story as of today. Nothing into it, everything really quiet between Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.”

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Latest Liverpool news: Man City take Semenyo lead; double Real Madrid link

Meanwhile, Liverpool are understood to have fallen behind Manchester City in the race to sign Antoine Semenyo.

The Bournemouth winger has a tempting £65m exit clause in his deal and the 25-year-old looks set to become one of the most in-demand players of the winter window.

Now sources close to Anfield confirm the Bournemouth winger is “closer to City than us”.

Pep Guardiola has personally pushed for the Ghana international, viewing him as the perfect wide partner for Erling Haaland, and City are ready to trigger the release clause that was inserted into Semenyo’s new contract over the summer.

As a result of that, Liverpool are understood to be considering a move to trigger a Plan B option from Real Madrid.

Another Real Madrid star linked with a stunning move to Anfield is Jude Bellingham.

That’s after ambitious reports in the Spanish press claimed the Reds have made contact with Bellingham’s representative in order to convince the midfielder to move to Anfield, and with the England star coming under fierce criticism in the Real Madrid press.

Elsewhere on the transfer front, Liverpool have reopened direct talks with Marc Guehi’s representatives this week as they attempt to steal a march on Real Madrid and bring the Crystal Palace captain to Anfield in January, sources can reveal.