Richard Hughes and FSG left with agonising Arne Slot decision to make

Liverpool are enduring a difficult second season under Arne Slot.

Results have been inconsistent for the reigning Premier League champions and they are facing a fight just to requalify for the Champions League.

And while it’s unlikely that the sporting director Richard Hughes will opt to make a change in the dugout before the end of the season it’s only natural to assume an assessment of Slot’s position will be made over the summer.

The Dutchman is only under contract until 2027 and so it wouldn’t cost a fortune to sack him. And one complicating factor for the 47-year-old right now is the availability of several top-quality contenders to replace.

Indeed the available head coaches’ list is stacked full of names reported to be under consideration by FSG at the same time as Slot.

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The former Feyenoord boss ultimately won the race to be appointed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor in May 2024 – leading the Reds to the title.

Bear in mind however that Liverpool are unlikely to have to pay any compensation for any of the following names – who have clearly done enough to be shortlisted by the club before Klopp left.

Alonso and Amorim currently out of work

Let’s start with Xabi Alonso. Once Klopp made the announcement that he would be leaving it was immediately assumed that Alonso would be the natural choice to come to Anfield.

He led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double that season – working with Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong – but opted to stay another year.

Last summer he joined Real Madrid before being sacked in January amid talk of a fallout with key performers. The 44-year-old Spaniard is now available and Liverpool could end up back at his door.

Then there’s Ruben Amorim. The Liverpool job looked like it was the Portuguese coach’s to lose at one stage before he flew to meet with West Ham in an attempt to pressurise the Reds into appointing him quickly.

Liverpool distanced themselves from Amorim – citing a concern over his playing style – and he remained with Sporting until his appointment by Manchester United in November 2024.

14 unsuccessful months later and he was the latest managerial casualty at Old Trafford – winning only 24 of his 63 games in charge. Once again available however the 40-year-old is in a lesser bargaining position than he was at Sporting.

De Zerbi also available

Then there’s Roberto De Zerbi. Reports from around Liverpool suggested the club thought he was an “excellent” manager and he was very much on the post-Klopp shortlist.

The passionate Italian did well at Brighton – being linked with several top English jobs – before decamping for Marseille in summer 2025.

He won plaudits for his style of football at l’OM and led the side to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 during his first season in charge.

De Zerbi’s spell reached an end this week however – departing after a disastrous Champions League elimination and a 5-0 hammering against Paris Saint-Germain in Le Classique.

But like the candidates above there is clearly a top manager there and it’s only a matter of time before the 46-year-old once again lands a big job.

And the surprise candidate in the shakeup to replace Klopp – Franck Haise – is now destined to become the new Rennes manager in Ligue 1.

He has been out of work since leaving Nice in December – but Liverpool decision-makers were very taken with his work at Lens previously.

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