25 May 2026 20:03 BST |
4 min read
Arne Slot may have qualified Liverpool for the Champions League, but his position remains unstable – and RC Lens manager Pierre Sage has just announced that he is coming for the Dutchman’s job.
A disastrous season came to a fitting end on Sunday, with Liverpool only mustering a 1-1 draw with Brentford at Anfield. While club legends Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson received their post-game send-off, Slot was seen sitting alone.
The 47-year-old was no doubt reflecting on the campaign just gone. The death of Diogo Jota, the record summer spending, serious injuries and the decline of Salah all contributed to making this term one of the most difficult the club had experienced in some time.
Ultimately, Slot achieved what was expected of him: to qualify for the Champions League. However, it was the “bare minimum,” as Salah described it in his explosive statement in the build-up to his final game.
Slot has seen his popularity drop dramatically over the past nine months. The credit he accrued for winning the Premier League in his first season has evaporated due to his inability to arrest Liverpool’s poor on-pitch results. That decline already began in early 2025.
Sage dreams of managing Liverpool
Liverpool are expected to stick with Slot after securing Champions League qualification, but large sections of the club’s fanbase want a change of manager. The obvious candidate for the role would have been Xabi Alonso, but he will take charge of rivals Chelsea next term.
The rumours over Slot’s future will persist, and should Liverpool’s poor form continue next season, a sacking will become inevitable. The wind has turned against the 47-year-old as far as the fans are concerned. His position will become untenable unless he manages to win them over again.
The pressure on Slot is immense, and it has just been ramped up another notch by news emerging from France. Ligue 1’s Manager of the Season, Pierre Sage, has revealed that he dreams of managing Liverpool in an interview with Telefoot.
The Frenchman, who is the same age as Slot, is coming off a remarkable campaign with RC Lens. Sage’s men mounted a credible Ligue 1 title challenge and won the club’s first-ever Coupe de France title last Friday.
Lens finished their league campaign with a whopping 22 wins. It wasn’t enough to dethrone PSG, but Sage’s men ran them close, sitting at the top of the table for six matchdays.
Naturally, following such a successful season, interest in the former Lyon coach is at an all-time high. He is believed to be a candidate to succeed Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace, with Andoni Iraola another name considered by the Eagles.
With Lens set to play Champions League football next season, Sage has suggested that he will try to remain at the club and “honour his contract.” However, he did admit after Friday’s cup win that there are “lots of contacts” with interested parties.
At this stage, his future remains open. If his upward career trajectory continues, the prospect of one day managing Liverpool may no longer be just a far-fetched dream for him.
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