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Who is the favourite to replace Arne Slot? 3 Top Tips & Next Liverpool Manager Odds

Who is the favourite to replace Arne Slot? 3 Top Tips & Next Liverpool Manager Odds

Friday 23 January, 20262 min read
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Ramis Ibrahim

Avid football writer and Premier League specialist. Meticulous eye for player prop bets across English, European and International football honed over four years in football analysis.

Who is the favourite to replace Arne Slot?

Xabi Alonso is the current favourite to take over from Arne Slot, with the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss priced at evens to be the next man in the Liverpool hotseat.


Who will be the Next Liverpool Manager?


Expert Outsider Pick
  • Next Liverpool Permanent Manager
  • Premier League
1 Selections @ 12.00

Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann is one of the more intriguing options on this list to succeed Arne Slot as the next Liverpool boss, with the young German coach still highly rated by many clubs across Europe. We don't hear about Nagelsmann as much as we used to, as he is currently the manager of the German national team, meaning that he isn't in the spotlight as much as he was when he was at RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich.

The 38-year-old has quite the CV for a coach of his age, and is likely to be available for a switch after the World Cup, which would be two major tournaments for him with Germany, which is the usual shelf life of a national team manager. Stylistically, I think he would be more in line with Jurgen Klopp, which would be attractive to Liverpool fans who surely miss a little of the heavy metal football they used to play under their former manager. This is where there is a little disconnect between the Liverpool fans and Arne Slot, who likes to prioritise control in games.

Nagelsmann is arguably the most experienced coach under the age of 40 available to big clubs, which seems to be the trend. Manchester United have also been linked with him, and I suspect there will be many other big clubs across Europe in the queue for a manager that has won a league title, and maintained a win percentage of 50% or higher in each of his last three roles.

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Expert Outsider Pick
  • Next Liverpool Permanent Manager
  • Premier League
1 Selections @ 17.00

Cesc Fabregas

One of the big clubs will take a risk on Cesc Fabregas in the coming weeks and months, with the former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder showing real promise as a coach with Como in Serie A. He's got an excellent setup around him, but Fabregas is still punching above his weight with the Italian side, and his association with the Premier League could make him an attractive option for Liverpool should they miss out on other targets that are more favoured in the market.

Fabregas is 38 and in the mould of what a lot of the elite clubs are looking for now in a manager. The majority of big clubs want a manager who is willing to work within their framework, which is something that Fabregas has shown he is capable of doing through his work with Como. The former Premier League winner has repeatedly praised the structure and support of the club, which will appeal to boardrooms around Europe who are attempting to completely change the previously understood role of a manager.

Fabregas has other suitors and was previously linked with the Chelsea job when Enzo Maresca was dismissed from his role. I suspect that these rumours will intensify towards the end of the season, with Fabregas being a solid option for a club like Liverpool, who will want a long term manager to succeed Arne Slot, who may not be their long term leader.

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Favourite
  • Next Liverpool Permanent Manager
  • Premier League
1 Selections @ 2.00

Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso looks destined for a return to Liverpool when the managerial role becomes available. He was heavily linked with the job prior to Arne Slot signing on the dotted line, but he didn't make the move to Merseyside due to his connection with Bayer Leverkusen, with Alonso feeling as though his work at the Bundesliga club wasn't quite finished.

He has been at another club since that successful spell in Germany, with Alonso taking charge of the biggest club in world football, Real Madrid. Alonso didn't perform poorly as Real Madrid manager, but factors such as player power and the ridiculously high demands of a club like Los Blancos made for a short relationship, with Alonso leaving the club by mutual agreement after defeat in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Alonso's spell at Real Madrid shouldn't put off Liverpool too much, seeing as they were so keen on him before he made the move to Madrid. Alonso also has a connection to the club through his playing career, having made 186 appearances for the Reds between 2004 and 2009. Alonso was always seen as a player that could progress into management, and his stock is still really high with the decision-makers at Anfield despite his short spell at the Bernabeu, which can hardly be labelled as a failure.

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Why is Arne Slot under pressure?

Arne Slot has struggled to build on his successful first season with the Reds, and his relationship with the fans has suffered as a result. Slot is incredibly professional, but also pretty plain speaking, which has led to some flare-ups with players such as Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, with some fans not taking too kindly to this approach.

Jurgen Klopp hardly minced his words either, but it feels different with Slot - especially as he was the one taking over from Liverpool's most successful manager in the Premier League era. I think Liverpool are struggling to find their new identity, having played in the same way for so long, and their title win last season is credited by some to Jurgen Klopp, given that it was mainly his players that went on to lift the trophy.

Furthermore, it also seems like Liverpool are at a turning point as a club anyway. Key cornerstones of recent successful sides, such as Salah and Virgil van Dijk, are ageing, and clearly not at the levels that they have set over recent seasons. This would suggest that Liverpool need to bring in a few more difference-makers, and I'm not entirely sure that Arne Slot is the right man to lead that revolution.

Who are the favourites to replace Arne Slot?

Xabi Alonso is the clear favourite to replace Arne Slot and was linked with the job before the Dutchman took the role. It's quite an open field after Alonso in terms of the betting market, Luis Enrique is slightly ahead of the rest of the pack at 7.0, but he recently confirmed that he has no intention of moving on from PSG this summer, so he is unlikely to be available to the Reds.

There are options with Premier League experience as well, such as Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola - though you could argue that neither have proven that they are fully ready to step up to this level. Liverpool may also be cautious with this approach having seen the struggles that Thomas Frank has had at Tottenham with stepping up to the demands of an elite club.


Next Liverpool Manager Odds

Manager

Paddy Power Odds

Xabi Alonso

1.91

Luis Enrique

7.00

Andoni Iraola

8.00

Jurgen Klopp

8.00

Julian Naglesmann

8.00

Oliver Glasner

10.00

Unai Emery

11.00

Zinedine Zidane

13.00

Steven Gerrard

13.00

Xavi

15.00

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The frontrunner for the Liverpool job is Xabi Alonso.

He left Real Madrid by mutual consent following Madrid's loss in the final of the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona.

Liverpool fans rarely turn on a manager and while there has been frustration with Slot, there isn't a massive rallying cry for his dismissal. That being said, Slot hasn't formed a concrete bond with the Liverpool fans and is possibly struggling with the connection that Klopp had with the supporters- which is a bond that is near impossible to replicate.

In summary, Liverpool fans aren't calling for Slot's head yet, but there is an admission that things must improve with the money that the Reds have spent in recent windows. I'd keep an eye on Slot's fractured relationship with the fans, this could eventually spell the end of his time at Liverpool with the club being entrenched in passion and Slot not really reflecting that personality.

Xabi Alonso is the market leader, but there are plenty of links with managers further down the market. Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola have been touted as potential replacements with Premier League experience, while the likes of Xavi and Nagelsmann are also options.

The most intriguing name in the betting market is Ange Postecoglou. This would be a real risk from Liverpool, and it is highly unlikely, but the former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss has spoken about his admiration for the club in the past and may be an option if talks with other options really hit a roadblock.

The majority of Liverpool fans are still behind Slot, but there appears to be a reluctance to see him as the long term manager of Liverpool. Fans are appreciative of Slot winning Liverpool's second ever Premier League title last season, but some do attribute that success to Jurgen Klopp - seeing as it was mainly his players who went on to lift the title.

If Slot does go, Alonso is seen as his ideal successor, while some Liverpool fans are still dreaming of a return for Jurgen Klopp. This is quite unlikely at the moment, as Klopp has a role as Head of Global Football with the Red Bull Group and hasn't shown any signs that he is willing to go back into management.

Liverpool started the season really slowly but have grown into the campaign in recent weeks with Arne Slot finding solutions to the defensive issues that Liverpool were facing in the early weeks of the campaign. Liverpool still have issues when it comes to putting together a complete performance, and their attacking options do look a little light despite spending over £200 million on forwards last summer.

No, Liverpool are 4th in the Premier League.

Liverpool travel to take on Bournemouth before three games at Anfield which could be really consequential for their season. The Reds face Qarabag, Newcastle and Manchester City at home in their next few matches, which look to be a trio of fixtures that could be consequential for Arne Slot and the aims of Liverpool this season.

It is highly unlikely that Liverpool will win the league. The club are in contention to finish in the Champions League places, though.



* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *


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