The pressure is really ramping up on Liverpool boss Arne Slot after losing nine of the last 12 matches and now the Dutchman has been warned former boss Jurgen Klopp could be ready and poised to return to the Anfield dugout. It's been claimed Klopp and would be carried "shoulder high" by Reds fans who are desperate for the team's current disastrous run to finally come to an end.
Klopp backed for sensational return
The boos rang out around Anfield after yet another defeat, another poor performance and another four goals conceded as Liverpool slumped to a 4-1 defeat to PSV on Wednesday evening, the latest chapter in a horror show of a season for the English champions. Defeat in the Champions League came after back-to-back 3-0 defeats by Nottingham Forest and Manchester City and followed the Reds' 3-0 capitulation to Crystal Palace which dumped them out of the League Cup. Slot has stated the club hierarchy still support him, but the wolves are circling a manager who is failing to fix defensive frailties or improve the form of summer signings who are still struggling to integrate into the team. And prominent German journalist Michael Reif has backed Klopp to make a sensational return to Merseyside, if Slot fails to end the dismal run of results. The German boss enjoyed a trophy-laden nine years at Anfield, winning multiple domestic and European titles before leaving in 2024 and is currently the Head of Global Soccer for the Red Bull Group.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportReif: 'Klopp's hovering over Anfield like a UFO'
Reif told : "Liverpool isn’t just in a mess. It’s practically burned to the ground!. The timing of this statement (Klopp's appearance on Diary of a CEO) is terrible for Slot. He's hovering over Anfield like a UFO. All of Liverpool would carry him back on their shoulders. And it would be negligent if they didn’t try to bring Klopp back. In Liverpool, the scar from his departure is far from healed. I don’t know what it’s like being Global Head of Soccer, and whether you ever start to wonder, ‘Is this really me?’ He was exhausted after that time. It took its toll. Now he looks very rested. Almost as if Arne Slot has to watch out…"
Under-fire Slot on borrowed time
Anfield legend Jamie Carragher has weighed in on the debate and handed a stark warning to the Dutch boss, saying he has as little as seven days, across three fixtures to save his job.
Carragher told : "Arne Slot has a week to save his job. It is hard to believe that sentence is being written, but Liverpool’s next three games are against West Ham United, Sunderland and Leeds United. Anything fewer than seven points will make an already unacceptable situation untenable. No matter how much goodwill the manager has, Liverpool Football Club cannot sustain the drop in standards witnessed over the past three months. No one knows better than me how much that reality will be hurting everyone connected with my old club. Liverpool do not willingly sack coaches, especially those that bring great success."
He added: "Nobody saw this drop-off coming, and there must always be caution about making statements with the benefit of hindsight. However, there were hints that the team was going in the wrong direction from March last season onwards, most notably in the performance away to Paris St-Germain and in the Carabao Cup Final loss to Newcastle United."
Getty Images SportLondon calling for beleaguered Reds boss
Slot knows he can buy himself some breathing space if his side can secure three points when they head to West Ham on Sunday afternoon. But the Hammers are on an upward curve after the dreadful start to the season under previous boss Graham Potter, and are unbeaten in their last three under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. But history is on the Reds’ side; West Ham have won just one of their last 18 Premier League games against Liverpool. Slot will be desperate for that run to continue at the London Stadium.