It was hardly a surprise that Arne Slot’s future at Anfield was at risk when the dust settled on the 2025/26 season. After storming to the title in his first season on Merseyside, his Liverpool team was toothless in its defence of the Premier League. Instead, the Reds limped to a fifth-place finish, 25 points off the pace at the summit.
However, the club’s decision to show the Dutchman the door after conceding defeat in keeping hold of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibrahima Konate is perhaps a little perplexing. While it could be argued that Salah and Robertson’s influence was waning, it means that Slot’s replacement is faced with the daunting prospect of an unsettled squad.
That replacement was ultimately Andoni Iraola, the Basque man who took the Premier League by storm with his gung-ho brand of football at Bournemouth. However, could he now face the uphill task of bringing together a competent title-worthy team in the wake of a small Anfield exodus?
An Ageing Squad of World-Class Stars Whose Shine is Fading
The side that Slot inherited from Jurgen Klopp was full of genuinely world-class players. However, by the end of the German’s reign, they were already highly experienced – a euphemism for leaving the prime of their career. Salah was 31, Robertson 30, and their defensive stalwart Virgil van Dijk 33. Time was ticking.
Van Dijk is a name that has been linked with a move this summer, with rumours suggesting that a number of European giants are looking to add his nous to their squads. The Netherlands cruised through their World Cup qualifiers, conceding only four goals with the experienced centre-half in defence, and he is a big part of why they are 16/1 to go all the way.
At 35, though, the Dutchman looks set to be the latest departure. The Liverpool ownership has implemented a strict wage structure that restricts older stars to shorter contracts on lower wages. For van Dijk, that means he could seek a more lucrative pay packet in a less demanding competition.
A Young Core to Build Around or a Threadbare Squad?
Ultimately, the established names in the Liverpool squad were those who struggled in 25/26. Salah was often frozen from the side and, even when given a chance, struggled to find the magic he so often delivered for almost a decade on Merseyside. Instead, it was younger stars like Dominik Szobozlai and Hugo Ekitike who managed to keep some hope alive.
The Hungarian midfielder has been linked with a move away to giants like Real Madrid, but the LFC Player of the Year will likely be one that FSG will fight to hold on to. At 25, he represents a potential future captain and has plenty of time ahead of him to become the talismanic figure that Mo Salah was for so long.
The concern is, though, that the current Liverpool squad looks light, especially in experience. Joe Gomez will be the longest-serving senior member of the squad once again. At 29, though, the former Charlton defender has played a disappointing amount of football. Injuries have restricted the Catford-born man to just 170 Premier League appearances in 11 years.
Iraoloa May Have What It Takes to Galvanise Liverpool
Whether or not there are more big-name exits from Anfield in the coming weeks, the hierarchy may just have got the perfect man for the job. At Dean Court, the Spaniard became used to losing his most influential stars, including Milos Kerkes, to Liverpool last summer in a deal worth around £40 million.
In fact, in the 2025/26 preseason window, four bona fide first-teamers left the south coast, and Antoine Semenyo would depart for Manchester City in January. That barely affected the club, as they went on to secure European football for the first time in their history, just narrowly missing out on the Champions League in 6th, three points behind Liverpool.
That is all to say that, if there is to be a spate of first-team stars out the door at Anfield, Iraola will have the tricks up his sleeve to mitigate that. He could even end up being the most important signing on Merseyside this summer.
