ABSENT WINNER: MANAGER OF THE SEASON ARNE SLOT SKIPS AWARD GALA
Liverpool boss Arne Slot skipped an awards ceremony after a dismal 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. Slot, named manager of the year, shouldered blame for the team's poor form, with 8 losses in 11 games plaguing his second season.
Arne Slot didn't show up to an awards ceremony after Liverpool's bad 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Slot was named manager of the year by the Northern Football Writers' Association for his first season with the Reds, which saw them do great in the Premier League.
But now, things are tough for Liverpool. They're trying to rebuild the team and aren't playing well, losing eight of their last 11 games.
Instead of Slot, Liverpool sent club ambassador Gary McAllister to get the award. Slot said he wouldn't be there at 4 pm on Sunday.
McAllister was at Leeds' game against Aston Villa when he got a call during halftime to fill in for Slot.
McAllister told everyone at the event that Slot was sorry he couldn't make it. He shared a quick message from Slot, who said he was very proud to win the award.
Earlier that weekend, Liverpool lost to Nottingham Forest 3-0.
Other people honoured at the event included Daniel Farke from Leeds, Phil Parkinson from Wrexham, and Eddie Howe from Newcastle.
Erik ten Hag was the last big Premier League manager to go to the awards. He won last year for winning the FA Cup with Manchester United in the 2023-24 season.
Just days later, Man United fired Ten Hag and replaced him with Ruben Amorim.
After the loss to Forest, who won back-to-back at Anfield for the first time since 1978, Slot took most of the blame.
"I want to say that I'm responsible for the losses we've had," he said. You're responsible when you're winning, but also when you're losing.
I can't make enough excuses for our results. They're not good enough, and I'm responsible for that.
It's my job if we win or lose. But I see that the team—and the fans who stayed until the end—keep trying. Except for the Manchester City game (two weeks ago), we've been the better team in every other game and created chances.
Lately, we keep missing our chances, and we let in goals. That won't keep happening all season. We need a boost to score a goal. If you're playing well and score to go up 1-0, the other team loses energy.
But the opposite happened… they got a big energy boost from scoring 1-0. I see a lot of things that would normally lead to a different result, but we're in a tough spot now, and we need to do even more when things aren't going our way.
MOHAMED SALAH SET TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL: FENERBAHCE PREPARE STUNNING THREE-YEAR CONTRACT OFFER
After a decade at Anfield, Mohamed Salah's next move is the talk of football. Will he join Messi or stay in European leagues?
Mohamed Salah looks set to leave Liverpool this summer, and it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe. One of the hottest rumours right now is about Fenerbahçe; they’re ready to offer him a three-year deal worth around £52 million. That’s a huge pay packet, but probably not as big as what he’d get in Saudi Arabia.
Salah’s been on Merseyside for almost a decade, and it’s hard to overstate just how much he’s done for Liverpool. Since joining in 2017 with Jurgen Klopp in charge, he’s picked up two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, an FA Cup, and two League Cups. Pretty impressive, honestly. But this season hasn’t gone his way, and new boss Arne Slot dropped him for a few games after his form dipped. When Salah announced in March that he’d be leaving, people started up with transfer rumours right away.
In recent years, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have shown considerable interest. Last year, Al Ittihad went as far as slapping a £150 million offer on the table, but Liverpool turned it down.
Now the story goes that Salah wants to stay in Europe even though he’d pocket way more in Saudi Arabia. Reports out of Egypt claim Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho’s old club, have already sat down with Salah’s agent. They apparently laid out their big plans, offering £17.3 million a year with a three-year contract, and they want to build the team around him to end their league title drought stretching back to 2014.
There’s also talk of Real Madrid getting involved. Still, their transfer policy usually steers clear of handing massive contracts to players pushing the end of their careers, even superstars like Salah. Clubs in Italy, like Roma, Juventus, and Inter Milan, are keeping tabs on him too. And just to make things more interesting, someone floated the idea of Salah joining up with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the MLS, though the league's salary cap throws a wrench into that.
At this point, everybody’s watching Salah’s next move; the only certainty is that he won’t be short of offers when he finally says goodbye to Liverpool.
WHY IS LIVERPOOL HESITATING TO HIRE XABI ALONSO DESPITE OVERWHELMING FAN SUPPORT?
Liverpool has contacted Real Madrid to investigate Xabi Alonso’s tenure, as pressure grows on current manager Arne Slot at Anfield.
Liverpool have reached out to Real Madrid to ask about Xabi Alonso, but honestly, there’s some debate going on behind the scenes. People have been talking about Alonso stepping in at Anfield, especially since Arne Slot’s season hasn’t gone over well. Fans let out some boos after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea, and the mood is pretty tense. Even though Slot led Liverpool to a league title last year, quite a few supporters seem fed up with him and would rather see Alonso take charge.
But Spanish outlet AS says Liverpool have contacted Real Madrid to get the inside scoop on what happened during Alonso’s time at the club. It sounds like the decision-makers at Liverpool are starting to feel unsure about him, and they might actually stick with Slot for another season.
Alonso landed the Real Madrid job last summer after doing wonders at Bayer Leverkusen. Still, just six months in, Madrid let him go, reportedly because the locker room was falling apart. Liverpool’s relationship with Real Madrid is strong, and they apparently want some honest feedback – kind of like asking for a reference from a past employer, which isn’t unusual.
Liverpool’s spot in next year’s Champions League is almost locked in, but with two games left, it’s not guaranteed yet. When asked about the boos, Slot admitted he has some work to do to win fans over.
He said, “Not this season. Fans won’t change their minds now. But if we get the summer we’re planning, I’m convinced we’ll be a different team next season. Results, style, everything. It’s not always easy, though. Sometimes you know what needs fixing, but getting what you want isn’t so simple. This season, it’s been pretty clear what we’re missing. We’re trying to solve it, but one issue is simply having enough fit players. Still, our guys show every week in the second half that they’re giving everything they’ve got.”