Iraola endorsed by Liverpool legend as Reds are told Alonso ‘would have waited’ after Slot sack

Emile Heskey has given his blessing to Liverpool appointing Andoni Iraola as their next manager amid growing speculation that Arne Slot will be sacked at Anfield.

The Reds have been in disappointing form this season with Slot’s side currently fifth in the Premier League table after winning the title under the Dutchman last term.

Liverpool have gained just one point from their last three Premier League matches and even looked in danger of slipping out of the top five, before Erling Haaland’s late equaliser against Bournemouth on Tuesday made that unlikely.

There have been rumours for weeks that Slot is likely to lead Liverpool into next season but recent results have made that far less certain as fan frustration rises.

And an incredible update from ChrisRoyceWords on X, who has over 2ok followers, has revealed that Liverpool have made the decision to sack Slot once the season is over.

The account claimed on Thursday morning: ‘EXCLUSIVE: The Liverpool board have decided NOT to continue with Arne Slot as manager for the 26/27 season.

‘Having previously opted to give Slot more time to turn things around, the decision to sack Slot was made over the weekend following conversations with senior players.’

The account later added: ‘Slot is set to take change of Liverpool’s final game of the season on Sunday.

‘The Liverpool board are looking to replace Slot with a Head Coach rather than a manager, hence the lack of interest in Xabi Alonso.

‘No decision on Slot’s replacement has yet been made.’

And now Liverpool legend Heskey has given the green light to the Reds to bring in Iraola with the former England striker ready to see some “gung ho” football at Anfield next season.

Heskey told Hajper: “Andoni Iraola has shown he has the capabilities. He’s shown that he’s a very, very intelligent coach. He’s played a back three. He’s played a back four.

“He knows how to change it up. One thing I will say, Bournemouth is not Liverpool, and we’ve seen this so many times. Liverpool is just a little bit different to some other clubs where you’re given plenty of time.

“So for me, yes, Iraola would be a great option because of the style of playing, and at [the] end of the day, we just want entertaining football as Liverpool fans.

“That’s what we got with Jurgen Klopp. That’s what we got in the first season under Arne Slot, but it just kind of tailed off to become a bit more possession-based. But we want that entertainment. We want our teams to be gung ho. That’s Iraola.”

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Alonso ‘would have waited’ for the Liverpool job – Riise

Xabi Alonso was linked heavily with replacing Arne Slot as he came under pressure earlier this season and John Arne Riise reckons the newly-appointed Chelsea head coach would have waited to take the Liverpool job.

Ex-Reds defender Riise told Campobet: “I think it’s a sign that, when Xabi went to Chelsea now, if Liverpool had maybe been thinking about letting Arne Slot go, they would have spoken to Xabi already and kept him informed.

“With Xabi signing with Chelsea now, I think it proves that they haven’t spoken to his representative and they’re not considering sacking Arne Slot. Because Xabi Alonso was the obvious choice for me, and for everybody, to take over if they wanted to change.

“I think Xabi, if he knew there was a chance with Liverpool, he would have waited. But since he took the Chelsea job now, quite quickly as well it seems, it kind of tells me that maybe there wasn’t as much talk as people say and I think Slot’s job is safe. That’s what I’m thinking in my head when I saw the news about Xabi going to Chelsea.”

READ: Liverpool superstar tells Juventus he’ll quit Anfield after agreement reached

Slot’s side have been booed off on a couple of occasions recently and, when put to Riise that could be the sign of the end for the Liverpool boss, he added: “It’s not a good sign, if I can say that! But I think it’s more the boos and the negative responses. It’s more like things he’s done in the games that the fans don’t agree with.

“Like, for example, when he took off Rio [Ngumoha] a few games ago and they started booing. But at the end of the day, he explained that after. And I agree with Slot that he does it with tact.

“He knows, and he said he knew there was going to be boos when he takes Rio off. But Rio probably didn’t have sprints in him, he couldn’t track back, he didn’t have the energy he had in the first half. These things will make the team look bad if you don’t have the players who can do the work. So he did explain the reason for taking Rio off. I understand. I also reacted a little bit when he was taking him off because he was good. But if he’s tired, if he doesn’t have the physical stamina to keep going, he can’t play.

“Now it seems like everything Arne is doing, everybody responds negatively to it, whatever he’s doing. That’s a bad sign when you’re a manager because normally people always say, ’It’s a good thing, he knows why he did it’. But now it’s like, ‘No, you shouldn’t do it’.

“He has a big job ahead of him to turn things around when it comes to the belief from the fans and also his own players. Because if you start losing the dressing room, I’m not saying he has, but if you start losing, that’s when it’s game over.”

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