About a month or two ago, it seemed very plausible and expected that Liverpool would sack manager Arne Slot at the end of May. After all, the speculation and conjecture at the time seemed to be heading in that direction. When it actually happened on Friday night however, it was shocking. Slot had said publicly, as recently as last week even, rhetoric that made it clear he believed his own job was safe. And there was no reason to doubt him. However, Arne Slot is now gone, and there are already reports indicating that AC Milan will be his next landing spot.
Andoni Iraola
We also have a strong leading contender to replace him, Andoni Iraola, who just left AFC Bournemouth. According to multiple outlets, Iraola is the leading canidate to get the gig.
The Spaniard just led the Cherries to their first ever continental competition berth, having earned a UEFA Europa League slot due to their sixth-place finish. Bournemouth finished the season with an 18 match unbeaten streak, and that left them only three points behind Liverpool for the final Champions League berth.
Going to Anfield, right now, seems like the logical next step for Iraola. And given how he has a long-standing working relationship with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, this move would just make sense, all around.
Sebastian Hoeness and Pierre Sage
According to reports, there is a short list of candidates and consists of Iraola, Hoeness and Sage. Let’s start with Hoeness, who just led Stuttgart to a fourth place finish, and with it, a UCL berth. It was the club’s highest finish in 19 years, and that fact is made all the more impressive when you consider how they were in Bundesliga 2 just six years ago. No wonder he’s such a hot coaching commodity right now.
Moving on to Sage, he also secured a UEFA Champions League berth for a club that hasn’t tasted much success lately. Sage guided Lens to a runner-up finish in Ligue 1, which is very impressive, and their first ever Coupe de France title, nine days ago, with a 3–1 victory over Nice at the Stade de France.
So he’ll be a highly sought after head coach as well this summer.
Julian Nagelsmann
This is certainly a long shot, given how he’s currently leading Germany, a nation ranked in the top 10 by FIFA, into the World Cup right now. Still once this tournament is over, anything can happen, and we’ll see how Die Mannschaft perform. Nagelsmann has the pedigree and the CV for this job, but we list him here, simply out of obligation to list at least one wild card candidate.
Steven Gerrard
Speaking of wild card candidates, this is your way outside-the-box contender. Let’s start with the good- he’s an Anfield legend among legends, and knows the Merseyside club culture as well as anybody. Plus the “homecoming” narrative of Stevie G. leading the Reds is a fun concept. Now for the bad- look at his managerial record so far. It’s dismal, and that’s the reason he’s currently not leading a club right now. His win rate, at least thus far, makes him vastly underqualified.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.