Liverpool urged to sack Arne Slot and replace him with ‘perfect’ former Chelsea manager

Liverpool have been advised to sack Premier League title-winning manager Arne Slot and hire a ‘perfect’ former Chelsea boss as his replacement.

Slot guided Liverpool to Premier League glory less than 12 months ago but is now facing a battle to avoid the sack.

Liverpool’s defence of their crown never got going, with the Reds unable to keep up with the pace set by title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City.

Not only have Liverpool failed to defend their Premier League title but they have, at times this season, been at significant risk of not even qualifying for the Champions League next term.

Victories in their previous two league outings have eased those concerns, with the Reds five points ahead of Brighton in sixth place with a game in hand, but their likely Champions League qualification cannot mask what has been a hugely disappointing season at Anfield.

Liverpool could look to depart with Slot this summer and World Cup winner Marco Materazzi has named ex-Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca as the ‘perfect’ replacement.

Maresca led Chelsea to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and to the Conference League title in his one and only full season at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian, who has long been earmarked as a possible replacement for his mentor Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, left Chelsea in January just a few months after winning the Club World Cup in the summer.

Discussing the clubs Maresca could join as he looks to return to management, Materazzi told Hajper: ‘Can Enzo Maresca make Real Madrid into champions again? Yes, why not!

‘He speaks very good Spanish because he was at Sevilla, but I think Maresca also has a good opportunity to get a job in the Premier League for next season too.

‘Newcastle United? Not for me. Manchester United would be a good move for Maresca but he’s too connected to Manchester City to make that happen.

‘I think Liverpool would be the best fit for Enzo Maresca. He is the perfect coach to lead a rebuild at Liverpool to create a new vision for the team.’

Speaking on Sky Sports the day after the Merseyside derby win over Everton, former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said the ‘noises’ he was hearing were positive over Slot’s future, despite the club’s challenging campaign.

‘Arne Slot’s job has been spoken about all season. We’ve spoken about it a lot on Monday Night Football,’ Carragher explained.

‘There’s probably a split in the Liverpool supporters over whether he should stay or go, but the noises I am hearing is Slot will be the Liverpool manager next season if they can secure Champions League qualification, which they look like doing right now.’

Liverpool will look to tighten their grip on the Champions League places when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.

The club’s failings in cup competitions this season means Slot’s men are able to focus exclusively on their five remaining league games.

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