Anfield’s new Klopp: Premier League manager “hoping” to get the Liverpool job

That’s another season done and dusted for Liverpool, but the difference one year on from Arne Slot‘s title triumph could not be more stark.

Premier League champions no more. Liverpool’s defence has been terrible, slumping to 60-point fifth-place finish that has just about secured a seat at the Champions League table.

However, fans are unconfident right now, fearing a continuation of current woes at the start of next season, with star forwards still misfiring and tactical imbalances still found all across Slot’s system.

FSG are determined to persist with Anfield’s under-fire head coach, but a lot could change over the coming weeks.

Premier League manager hopes Liverpool come calling

Slot used the word “injury” to sum up Liverpool’s campaign. It’s true that the Reds have been ravaged by fitness blow after fitness blow, but they have also been profligate and unsure of themselves, accountable for so many poor performances that could and should have been avoided.

Despite the clamour for change, FSG have indeed offered little indication that they are willing to bite the bullet and fire Slot one year ahead of the conclusion of his contract, but the end-of-season review is forthcoming, and sporting director Richard Hughes is bound to be considering a move for Andoni Iraola, who has just led Bournemouth out for the final time in the Premier League.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are keeping tabs on the outgoing Cherries boss, who would leap at the chance to manage the Anfield side.

Iraola will soon be a free agent, and with Crystal Palace considering him their top target to replace Oliver Glasner, as well as Bayer Leverkusen hoping to land the Basque coach, Liverpool do need to make a swift decision.

Journalist Julian Laurens noted that it would not be a surprise if he entered Anfield mid-season, saying: “I think for a long time he was hoping that maybe Liverpool would get rid of Arne Slot and that would be the perfect fit for him.”

On the basis of the evidence, Iraola has what it takes to surpass Slot and maybe even become Liverpool’s new Jurgen Klopp.

Why Iraola can become Liverpool’s new Klopp

Liverpool can ill-afford another season at such a low ebb. Iraola is inexperienced, and that will play into FSG’s thinking, but he employs the kind of football that Reds fans fell in love with when Klopp was at the helm. He could bring the good times back again.

Iraola is only 43, but he has worked wonders on the south coast with Bournemouth, taking the reins from Gary Neil and shaping them into a European outfit. Bournemouth finished sixth in the Premier League this season, coming within a whisker of Slot’s Liverpool, and will play into the Europa League next year.

Having described his own tactical style as “rock and roll“, Iraola might just be perfect for this Liverpool team, who have become slow and ponderous under Slot’s guidance. It’s the way of being on a football pitch that has become synonymous with the Merseyside outfit, and the likes of Mohamed Salah have called for a return to that style.

Bournemouth are now one of the most entertaining outfits in the Premier League. Their high pressing and intensity have drawn plaudits from all over, and it’s something that does hark back to a certain Klopp, who worked such magic on Merseyside.

In a way, this feels cheap, almost as if Slot’s own controlled, fluid system has been invalidated. This is not the case, because he won the Premier League last year.

However, so much has gone wrong at Liverpool this season, and it does feel like a clean break could be best for all parties now, with Iraola rekindling a brand of football that fans will get behind.

The Klopp era is over; he will not be heading back to Anfield to lead the Reds out in the Premier League. But by appointing Iraola, “the best young coach in the world” in the words of Sky Sports’ Sam Tighe, Liverpool could restore something that has been lost, and they could challenge at the top of the pyramid once again, consuming opponents with their football.