Liverpool are giving Arne Slot a new contract, but does he ACTUALLY deserve one?

Arne Slot’s agent is working on agreeing a new Liverpool contract for her client, and amid obvious on-pitch concerns at Anfield right now, TEAMtalk has explored whether the Dutchman is deserving of one.

If examples at Manchester United and Arsenal are anything to go by, Liverpool faced the ultimate test when choosing Jurgen Klopp’s replacement.

Man Utd haven’t won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson departed, nor have Arsenal since Arsene Wenger left.

Liverpool, meanwhile, won their second title in the EPL era in Slot’s first attempt. If disregarding the past few weeks and looking purely at last season, there isn’t a man alive who’d say Slot shouldn’t be handed an extension.

His existing deal expires in the summer of 2027 and according to the Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele – who specialises in covering Liverpool – an extension is in the works.

“It is on the agenda and something his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, is working on,” replied Steele in a Q&A.

“Fans will recall Jurgen Klopp, who joined 10 years ago this week, was already in negotiations with Mike Gordon by January 2016.

“Liverpool want to act quickly here otherwise they risk Slot entering his last contracted season next year.

“[We] would be surprised if the head coach has not agreed to a new deal by then.”

Slot’s winning percentage as manager of Liverpool currently stands at 67.16%. He boasts by far the healthiest record across all Liverpool managers in that regard, with Kenny Dalglish (first spell) second on 60.91% and Jurgen Klopp just behind on 60.90%.

The only reasons detractors of Slot could put forward for why he shouldn’t receive a new deal relate to recency bias and what has transpired in the early going this season.

It’s fair to say Liverpool have started the campaign in shaky fashion, losing the Community Shield on penalties and tasting defeat in their last three matches prior to the international break.

The Reds did win every match in between, but were heavily reliant on late goals and lacked control or fluidity in attack in all the contests.

Slot’s magic touch with substitutions and his ability to positively affect games mid-match appears to have deserted him. His unwillingness to give Federico Chiesa anything but fleeting opportunities off the bench is a point of contention among the fanbase.

But while all of the above is true, there are four mitigating circumstances that must be taken into account that all play a part in absolving Slot of blame.

Why Arne Slot isn’t behind Liverpool’s recent struggles

The first and most unfortunate reason to have to mention is Diogo Jota’s passing.

Aside from losing a high calibre option in the forward line, Liverpool’s players have lost a close personal friend.

Virgil van Dijk not-so-subtly hinted at Jota’s passing as a key reason why the current campaign was never going to be straightforward after the Chelsea loss.

“It was always going to be a tough season, I’ve mentioned,” Van Dijk told ViaPlay. “Nobody said that it was going to be plain sailing whatsoever.

“It was always going to be ups and downs for multiple reasons that we shouldn’t forget, and all we have to do is stick together.”

Mohamed Salah – who looks woefully off-form this season – appears to have been particularly affected by Jota’s passing.

The Egyptian uncharacteristically began to start scraps with Bournemouth players in Liverpool’s Premier League opener and on multiple occasions, has been reduced to tears when applauding the fans post-match.

A second explanation for Liverpool’s struggles stems from their lavish summer spending.

It would be foolish to say signing superstar players like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak should make Liverpool weaker. However, that only tells half the story.

Liverpool’s strongest eleven now comprises four new starters when compared to last season – Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Wirtz and Isak.

Liverpool have looked anything but solid at the back this term and it’s the change in the full-back positions that are causing the most alarm.

Trent Alexander-Arnold wanted out, while last season proved Robertson was a fading force. New signings had to be made, but integrating two new starters into a back four – especially when Alexander-Arnold and Robertson were so established – has proven predictably tricky.

Buying a new player to take the place of someone who has held the shirt for a year or two is a whole different ball game to replacing someone who’s been in situ for close to a decade.

Alexander-Arnold had been Liverpool’s automatic pick at right-back since 2018, as had Robertson on the left side.

The amount of times Liverpool have bewilderingly played the ball straight out for throw-ins around the halfway line this season is bordering on comical.

Those playing the passes – primarily Van Dijk and Konate – expect the right-back and left-back to be in certain positions without looking.

Frimpong and Kerkez often find themselves five yards further forwards or back and what may seem like sloppy play is an indicator Liverpool are grappling with the difficulties of replacing such entrenched stalwarts. The telepathic relationships are simply not there right now and won’t be for a while.

One criticism levied at Slot is his Premier League triumph came with Klopp’s team. When allowed to rebuild the squad in his image – and spending heavily to do so – results have turned.

While that is accurate, it’s disingenuous to completely ignore the work Slot did last term in improving the players he inherited.

Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo in particular took giant strides forward last term. What’s more, if it were so easy for the squad Klopp left to win the Premier League title, why didn’t Klopp guide them to glory in his final season?

The Reds were in contention before their season imploded across all competitions in the spring of 2024. They finished third on 82 points in the league, just two shy of the mark Slot returned when lifting the trophy a year later.

However, Liverpool had already wrapped up the title with four games to spare. In those final four games when the foot was taken firmly off the accelerator, just two points out of 12 were picked up.

Had the pressure to win been on – just as it was in the previous 34 games – Liverpool would most likely have finished in the mid-90s for points.

The final reason to explain Liverpool’s early-season struggles relates to the strength of their fixture list.

Liverpool’s Premier League opponents so far read: Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley, Everton, Crystal Palace, Chelsea.

Another way to look at that list is the team currently in fourth, a team desperately craving revenge, the main title rivals, the lowest of low blocks, the derby, a team on a 19-match unbeaten run, and the team with the world’s most valuable squad.

When you put it like that, five wins out of seven really isn’t all that bad and anyone who seriously believes Slot is the wrong man for Liverpool should venture outside of their mum’s basement once in a while.

Latest Liverpool news – Slot changes / Upamecano, Guehi updates / Gerrard return

In other news, the Netherlands’ 4-0 mauling of Malta on Thursday night – in which four Liverpool players started – has given Slot two ideas on changes to make.

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk can confirm Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano is a serious option for Liverpool in the event they miss out on Marc Guehi.

The latest on both players’ futures can be found here.

Finally, Reds icon, Steven Gerrard, is zeroing in on a return to Ibrox after saying yes to managing Rangers for a second time.