Fabrizio Romano drops strong ‘for sure’ verdict on Liverpool sacking Slot and appointing Iraola

With Arne Slot potentially taking charge of Liverpool for the final time on Sunday and amid growing whispers that Andoni Iraola will be appointed as his successor at Anfield, Fabrizio Romano has delivered a massive update on the unfolding managerial saga at the dethroned former Premier League champions.

It’s been a season of despair for Liverpool, who were strongly fancied to defend their title crown off the back of a club record summer spend that saw £440m (€505m, $600m) splashed out on new talent.

But rather than create the trophy dynasty many anticipated at Anfield, the Reds have instead gone backwards and now face a final-day battle just to secure a top-five finish.

That worrying decline has left Slot’s future in jeopardy and, after TEAMtalk led the way earlier this week by revealing FSG now have ‘very serious reservations’ over the prospect of keeping the Dutchman at the helm.

Speculation that Slot could be gone hit fever pitch on Thursday when it was reported that Liverpool had now decided to sack Slot, while strong reports in France said departing Bournemouth boss Iraola would be the man to replace him at Anfield..

In light of all that, though, Romano has provided a sizeable update on the saga and insists FSG have a number of issues to resolve this summer, including more than just Slot’s future…

Taking to his YouTube channel, Romano said: “I absolutely confirm that there will be an end-of-season review at Liverpool. I can confirm that this will involve everyone at the club.

“I know there are many rumours about Arne Slot. What’s happening with Arne Slot. What I understand is that this week nothing is happening, but after this weekend, when Liverpool will obviously have a verdict on Champions League football, apart from Champions League football, they will have an end-of-season review about absolutely everything.

“It talks about the manager, of course, but also, for example, there is Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia that is really interested in Richard Hughes.

“My understanding is that Richard Hughes will lead Liverpool’s transfer window this summer and wants to focus on Liverpool, but interest from Saudi Arabia is genuine for the future.

“They are going to discuss the Arne Slot situation, they’re going to discuss some players, some contracts expiring, so several things to clarify…”

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Liverpool have big decision to make on Slot sack / Iraola appointment

Romano insists nothing is decided yet at Anfield with regards replacing Slot, but concedes that Iraola will likely be seen as a strong contender for the job if they do remove the Dutchman from his position.

“I think this is absolutely normal because in case Liverpool decide to change their mind compared to what they did so far. They never approached Xabi Alonso or other any other managers.

“But if the end-of-season review is going to be: ‘OK, we decide to part ways with the manager’, eventually, Andoni Iraola could be a candidate.

“He used to work with Richard Hughes already at Bournemouth. He’s one of the most appreciated managers in England right now, doing an incredible job at Bournemouth. So, for sure, Iraola would be a candidate.

“He’s going to leave Bournemouth, we know that. He has an offer from Crystal Palace, but still nothing signed because Iraola wants to understand which could be the best option possible for him.

“He also had a proposal from another country, not England, but at the moment, Iraola is giving priority to English football and Premier League football.”

Pundits torn on next Liverpool boss

Despite that, pundit Steve Nicol is adamant Slot will remain in place.

“FSG haven’t done an awful lot wrong since they got to Liverpool,” the pundit said on ESPN. “Certainly, appointing Arne Slot wasn’t a bad move this time last year when they were picking up the trophy. Things have just gone a little haywire, so Xabi Alonso seemed the ideal situation to jump on.”

“But I trust FSG, and if they wanted Xabi Alonso and he wanted to go to Liverpool, that would have been done and dusted. I think Liverpool know what they’re doing and I’m more than happy to not have Liverpool owners and FSG all over the papers telling us all what they’re trying to do, how they’re going to be doing this and that.

“So far they’ve acted, and we’ve seen how it turns out when they act,” Nicol added. “Up until now, generally, it’s been successful. So, I’m not so sure that the Xabi Alonso thing is something Liverpool fans and Liverpool owners will be desperately sad about, because they might just have something else up their sleeve.”

Another former star, Jermaine Pennant, though, is adamant that Slot needs sacking.

Pennant said: “If the board thinks that this is the guy to stay in charge, then something’s wrong with the board. Everyone can see this Liverpool team, see that they broke almost every single record which is not good – the most goals conceded, the most losses ever in a campaign, you name it. The stats are shocking.”

After Mohamed Salah criticism of Liverpool’s form and Slot’s style on social media, Pennant added: “What he’s saying [Salah] is stating the obvious. And if the board ultimately think that next season is going to be any different… I’m just shocked, because personally, I don’t see how [things will change].

“Are they going to spend another £450million, half a billion to bring in some more players? It’s down to philosophy, the way Liverpool play, how to play. They’re playing like a mid-table team – they just sit back, they wait for teams to come onto them. There’s no threat going forward, they’re not aggressive.

“So you’ve built a great machine and then all of a sudden you change these same cogs in that machine and expect to get the right output. It’s just not going to work.”

To dampen Slot’s prospects of keeping his job, this list here had 20 explanations as to why FSG simply have to let him go.

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