🚨 UPDATE, June 2026: Arne Slot was sacked by Liverpool on 31 May 2026, one week after the end of the Premier League season. Andoni Iraola, who left Bournemouth at the end of the season, is the clear favourite to replace him, with bookmakers suspending the market given the strength of his candidacy. The odds market below reflects the December 2025 period when speculation about Slot’s position was at its peak.
Arne Slot arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2024 as one of the more highly regarded managers in European football, having won two Eredivisie titles with Feyenoord and built a reputation for attractive, organised pressing football. His debut season exceeded almost every expectation, with Liverpool winning the Premier League title by a commanding margin and Slot becoming only the fifth manager in history to win the league in his first season at a club. The mood around Anfield going into 2025-26 was one of genuine optimism, with significant investment made in the summer transfer market including the signings of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.
What followed was one of the most turbulent single seasons in Liverpool’s recent history. The campaign was shaped from the outset by the tragic death of Diogo Jota, a succession of injuries to key players, and a series of results that made the title-winning form of the previous year feel like a distant memory. By November 2025, Liverpool had lost six of their first 12 Premier League games, suffered a 4-1 Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield and fallen to their worst run of form since a period in 1953-54. The next manager market opened with Klopp among the early names.
Next Liverpool Manager Odds (December 2025)
Odds correct at time of original publication, December 2025.
| Candidate | Odds | Implied Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Jurgen Klopp | 2/1 | 33.3% |
| Andoni Iraola | 5/1 | 16.7% |
| Oliver Glasner | 6/1 | 14.3% |
| Xabi Alonso | 6/1 | 14.3% |
| Steven Gerrard | 10/1 | 9.1% |
| Julian Nagelsmann | 10/1 | 9.1% |
| Unai Emery | 10/1 | 9.1% |
| Zinedine Zidane | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Why Klopp Led the Market at 2/1
Jurgen Klopp’s 2/1 price in December 2025 reflected the emotional logic of a fanbase who had grown accustomed to his style of management and were finding Slot’s more controlled, less expansive approach difficult to accept. Klopp had left Anfield at the end of 2023-24 after nearly nine years and was working as Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull, having publicly stated he needed time away from club management. His inclusion near the top of the market was driven less by genuine intelligence and more by the scale of the frustration around Anfield during Liverpool’s difficult autumn, and as the season progressed it became clear he would not be returning.
Andoni Iraola at 5/1: The Right Man All Along
Andoni Iraola was priced at 5/1 in the December market, which in hindsight looks extremely generous given that he is now the bookmakers’ overwhelming favourite to be appointed as Slot’s permanent replacement. The Basque coach had built one of the more impressive managerial reputations in the Premier League during his time at Bournemouth, guiding the club to consistent top-half finishes through an intense, well-organised pressing system that maximised a squad without the financial resources of the traditional top six. Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes had been the man who brought Iraola to Bournemouth, making the personal relationship between the two an important factor in his candidacy.
Glasner and Alonso at 6/1
Oliver Glasner was priced at 6/1 in the December market and went on to become the front-runner in the next Manchester United manager odds at various points during the spring, before Xabi Alonso was taken out of the Liverpool equation when he signed a new contract at Chelsea. Alonso had been heavily linked with Old Trafford, Liverpool and several other major European clubs throughout the season given his work at Real Madrid, and his 6/1 price at Liverpool reflected genuine structural interest rather than mere speculation.
How Slot’s Season Ended
Liverpool’s form improved in the second half of the 2025-26 season, and Slot was able to guide the club to Champions League qualification, finishing in the top five of the Premier League in a trophyless campaign. He had survived the worst of the December crisis, and both FSG and Slot himself gave public indications throughout the spring that he would be retained for a third season. The decision to dismiss him on 31 May 2026, just one week after the final day of the Premier League season, came as a genuine shock to most of the football world, contradicting months of messaging from the club.
The reasons cited in subsequent reporting centred on FSG’s desire for a change in playing style and their concerns about Slot’s plans for reshaping the backroom staff. The Salah situation had also fractured Slot’s relationship with supporters in a way that never fully recovered, with the public criticism the Egyptian directed at the club in December 2025 placing Slot in an uncomfortable position from which he never fully escaped in the eyes of many fans. Slot’s own farewell letter to supporters was widely praised for its class and dignity, and several commentators argued that his dismissal had been handled poorly given the mixed messages that had preceded it.
What Happens Next: Iraola the Clear Favourite
Andoni Iraola left Bournemouth at the end of the 2025-26 season and is the clear favourite to take the Liverpool job, with bookmakers suspending the market given the strength of the reported agreement between the two parties. His style of football, built on high pressing, organised structure and the ability to develop players significantly beyond their perceived ceiling, aligns closely with what Liverpool supporters and the club’s hierarchy want to see at Anfield. His connection with sporting director Richard Hughes, who signed him at Bournemouth, is the central thread in what looks like an imminent appointment.
For more context on the managerial changes across the Premier League in 2025-26, see our Next Man Utd Manager Odds piece covering Michael Carrick’s appointment and the Next Tottenham Manager Odds covering De Zerbi’s arrival at Spurs.
All odds correct at time of original publication, December 2025. Please gamble responsibly. For help with problem gambling visit GambleAware.org. 18+.
