Arne Slot sack speculation dismissed – but iconic star says ‘sluggish’ Liverpool are paying for major transfer blunder

A Liverpool great is adamant Arne Slot should be in no immediate danger of the sack at Anfield despite the club struggling amidst their worst run of form in 11 years – but in an exclusive interview, he has explained why the Reds are paying the price for an unforgivable transfer blunder this summer.

The Reds were beaten 2-1 at Anfield by Manchester United on Sunday in a match which ensured Liverpool are now in their worst run of form since November 2014 and the days of Brendan Rodgers. Heading to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday, a defeat at the Deutsche Bank Park will mean Liverpool will be on their worst run since 1953 – a staggering 72 years ago.

Just a matter of a few weeks ago, it was claimed Liverpool chiefs FSG were ready to open talks with Slot, contracted to Anfield until 2027, over an extension to his current terms.

Now, however, in the wake of their current mini-crisis, Slot suddenly finds himself under growing pressure and with two staggering reports on Tuesday claiming FSG were to hold a meeting to discuss the Dutchman’s future and their current poor form.

Our sources, though, are adamant that Slot is under no immediate threat, and the club’s position remains on working towards a long and sustainable future under the 47-year-old.

Off the back of that speculation, we had a sit-down with iconic former Reds striker Emile Heskey, who is adamant that, despite their current struggles, Slot is not under any immediate pressure.

“I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s under pressure, but people will be looking at him differently, because one thing with Arne Slot last season, a lot of talk about his in-game changes, his philosophy, blah, blah. We need to see that now. We need to see more of that,” Heskey exclusively told TEAMtalk in association with Betbrain.

“When your back’s against the wall, how do you change things? How do you bring freshness to something that’s looking a little bit… not stale, but it’s not, it’s not looking great at this moment. So we need to see what changes he can make.”

Heskey, however, has questioned if Liverpool changed too much, too soon this summer amid their raft of squad changes and says the amount of wholesale changes has made the side look sluggish….

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Liverpool needed major investment this summer

Asked if Liverpool made TOO MANY changes over the summer, with their signings of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong yet to find their rhythm, Heskey offered a diplomatic response.

“It can be too much at times, but the reality is, it was needed,” he insisted.

“We all saw as pundits, as fans, the need for change in certain areas last season; now we’ve gone and got that, we need to figure out how do we implement it? How can they actually hit the ground running? How can they get up to speed quicker?”

Despite that, Heskey admits the Reds are not looking great right now, adding: “It’s looking very slow. It’s looking very sluggish in the sense of the players adapting, the adaptation of the players coming into the squad.

“We’re in an era of a ‘quick fix’. Everyone wants everything NOW. I was lucky to be playing in an era when you were given time.

“Thierry Henry was given time – and it took him a few games to get going at Arsenal, and look what he achieved! But he was still given time. Nicolas Anelka was given time. Patrick Vieira was given time. Emmanuel Petit was given time…

“For the players that are coming in now, it’s like: ‘No, they’ve seen what you can you do over there. We need you to do that here now. It’s a totally different league now.”

Despite that, Liverpool fans were less than impressed by Slot’s tactical approach against United. Going in search of a second-half equaliser, which eventually came through Cody Gakpo in the 78th minute, Slot adopted a maverick 4-2-4 system.

We’ve explained here why the Reds boss deserves criticism for such an approach.

Now asked if that formation played into United’s hands, Heskey commented: “The funny thing is, I’ve just already said that we’ve praised that his in-game changes. Now we’re trying to criticise the same things that he’s doing.

“He made the decision, and it didn’t quite work. But if you look at the xG, it was, I think, nearly three. It could have been three goals for Liverpool.

“The reality is, he would have been feeling hard done by, but if you don’t take your chances, and Cody Gakpo missed one or two, hitting the post three times in the game, then you know what happens….

“People want tactically this, tactically that… One thing about my night era of players, we were that we were able to change things within the game ourselves. Right now, I don’t see those leaders on the pitch in the same way anymore. It’s not the same.”

Latest Liverpool news: Salah exit rumours gather pace; two more to leave in January?

If Liverpool are to hit top form again, they will need to get a more consistent tune out of Mo Salah, who has looked woefully below his best in recent games.

Off the back of that, one former Reds star has told Slot he needs strong words with the Egyptian king, feeling his output has dramatically dropped since signing his new deal – and the stats back up that claim.

Furthermore, the prospect of the Reds selling Salah before his deal expires in June 2027 has also been raised as a strong possibility, too.

Another high-profile Liverpool star’s future is also now at a very clear crossroads, and one source claims Slot will have a big say in whether a departure is sanctioned and amid growing links to a LaLiga club for the player, who was an unused substitute in Sunday’s defeat.

Finally, Liverpool will also green-light another long-serving star’s exit in January on the proviso a rumoured new signing arrives – and a report has named where he’s expected to go and for how much.

You decide ~ Which Liverpool signing will have the biggest impact this season?