Double or nothing: Arne Slot must deliver for Liverpool or face axe
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Credit: Getty Images/Imago
Jack Heath
Wed 3 September 2025 18:16, UK
Arne Slot must deliver for Liverpool in his second season in charge off the back of monster investment or potentially face a threat to his job come the end of the campaign.
The Reds spent a whopping £446million in the summer 2025 window (Sky Sports), the most ever spent by one Premier League club in a single window.
Eye-watering arrivals to Liverpool such as Alexander Isak from Newcastle and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen broke the British transfer record twice.
This has put a huge amount of pressure on the Dutch manager to guide Liverpool to more success in the 2025-26 season given the huge investment.
Credit: Imago
From their rampant Premier League winning season, many rival fans were surprised by how quickly the former Feyenoord boss took up the reins at Anfield.
Quite frankly, the Dutchman barely wavered across the domestic campaign, losing just four times in 38 matches to win the title with 10 points to spare to dispel any fears of a Man United-style drop off after the exit of a hugely-influential manager.
It is arguable that Slot had it lucky by taking over from the solid foundations of previous manager Jurgen Klopp who had brought outstanding stability to Merseyside.
Liverpool 2024-25 title winning seasonsGames played38Wins25Draws9Losses4Points84
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In his first summer at the club, Federico Chiesa was the only addition to what was an already star-studded squad, allowing the Liverpool manager to swiftly apply his philosophy that garnered stupendous results.
However, defeat in the League Cup final and early exits from the FA Cup and the Champions League means there is much more work for the ex-AZ Alkmaar coach to do with much more control over player personnel this summer.
With the first season out of the way with instant success, the significant backing over the summer will demand at least one trophy to be one this year, and a big one.
Arguably, two trophies would be optimal given how much money has been injected into the club for Slot to maintain a dominant dynasty over English football.
The Anfield boss may go from strength to strength off the back of a blockbuster summer in the transfer market, but spending such eye-watering amounts raises the stakes for everyone involved.
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If the red half of Merseyside walk away with no trophies at the end of the campaign, quite frankly it will be a disaster and a horrendous failure for all parties involved, given the starting point.
A couple of cups would be a solid return for most sides, but after dominating the league it now looks like defending the title, or lifting the Champions League, is the minimum requirement after investing so heavily from a position of strength.
Whether he would actually be removed by John Henry and FSG would only come into question if the drop off was alarming, but having waltzed to the title with such ease in his maiden campaign leaves him at risk of being a victim of his own success.
Blame would be thrown on the Dutchman for being unable to maintain his early pace from the 2024-25 season and would open him up to a reassessment of that league title as a fluke or courtesy of Klopp’s hard work.
The Community Shield defeat, while a comparatively smaller trophy to win, still could be indicative that the Reds may not have what it takes to get over the line this year.
Wirtz, Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and more are an enviable haul, but Liverpool didn’t have it all their own way before the window closed.
Credit: Imago
Questions have been asked over the solidity of the back line, and after Marc Guehi’s dramatic transfer collapse on deadline day that may be the Achilles heel if rivals are to have a hope of derailing a potential juggernaut.
The temperature is rising at Anfield for Slot and, whilst it remains at a comfortable one for now, one or two losses could quickly spark surging doubts from the Liverpool board over their massive investment, leading to a potential dramatic sacking of the prized manager.