ESPN pundit warns Liverpool to swerve head coach who’d be a bigger ‘risk’ than keeping Arne Slot

ESPN pundit warns Liverpool to swerve head coach who’d be a bigger ‘risk’ than keeping Arne Slot

Liverpool have been advised that keeping Arne Slot may actually be less of a ‘risk’ than appointing some alternatives who’ve been named as prospective replacements for him.

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The Reds’ head coach has come under ever-intensifying pressure after a dreadful season for last year’s Premier League champions, with an air of mutiny at Anfield last weekend after a frustrating draw against Chelsea.

Xabi Alonso continues to be cited in many quarters as a potential candidate to replace the Dutchman, but he’s not the only name being suggested as a replacement.

Fjortoft urges Liverpool to go nowhere near Nagelsmann

One viewer on ESPN FC posed the question as to whether keeping Slot into next season could see Liverpool miss out on alternatives such as Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann, but Jan Aage Fjortoft urged the Anfield hierarchy to run a mile from the current Germany manager.

He said:“What about Julian Nagelsmann? What a risk that would’ve been! The risk of keeping Slot, you have to weigh that up against the risk of getting Julian Nagelsmann, who was mentioned here.

“I can’t see that. I think I would prefer to go with Slot than with an alternative such as Nagelsmann. That’s a risk, too.”

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Appointing Nagelsmann would seem like a massive ‘risk’

A few weeks ago, the German’s name was raised by journalist Bence Bocsak on X, and the replies from Liverpool fans reflected a wild variance of opinion between those pleading for the 38-year-old to be hired, and those dead-set against any idea of him coming to Anfield.

Nagelsmann has a significant body of work behind him for his age, taking Hoffenheim into the Champions League for the first time, guiding RB Leipzig to the semi-finals of that competition, winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and overseeing Germany’s best major tournament performance in nearly a decade by reaching the quarter-finals at Euro 2024.

However, we can also see why Fjortoft has described his prospective appointment as a ‘risk’, with the 38-year-old infamously falling out with the likes of Manuel Neuer, Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane when he was in charge at the Allianz Arena (BBC Sport).

What Liverpool need now is someone with calm, controlled authority like Alonso, not a potential powderkeg such as Nagelsmann who could risk alienating key players in the dressing room, judging by his previous managerial posts.

The Reds don’t seem to be going anywhere fast under Slot, and a change may well be necessary to inject new life into a team whose fortunes have drifted alarmingly, but an ill-judged managerial appointment this summer could have an even more detrimental effect.