Liverpool head coach Arne Slot believes he will remain in charge next season despite growing pressure.
His popularity among supporters has dipped amid the team’s failure to mount a strong Premier League title defence, while the availability of Xabi Alonso this summer – along with interest from Chelsea in the former Liverpool midfielder – has further fuelled speculation over Slot’s future.
Asked about the speculation around his future and if he could confirm he was staying, Slot said: “I don’t think I am deciding that myself alone.
“I have every reason to believe that I am the Liverpool manager next season.
“First of all, I am contracted to this club, and second of all from all the talks we are having.”
Asked if he had been involved in planning for next season, Slot said: “Plans have been made and talks have been ongoing between the club and new players, and I am involved in that, if that is what you want to know.”
Liverpool, currently fourth in the Premier League, are well placed to secure Champions League qualification, holding a four-point cushion over sixth place with two games remaining.
However, there remains a sense of dissatisfaction with the stylistic changes introduced by Arne Slot, with last Saturday’s underwhelming draw against Chelsea at Anfield the latest in a series of disappointing performances.
Asked about the criticism he has faced, Slot said: “If a manager or a club doesn’t have their best season, there is always debate about that.
“It is not only at Liverpool. It is all around the world. That is the new reality in football. It is not up to me to judge the people that judge me. They have every right to have their opinion.
“In this modern time, everyone can share their opinion. This happened 10-15 years ago, but then you did it in the pub and not everyone heard it.
“Now it is also done in a pub. From what I am reading, they must have drunk a little bit [laughs]. That is a joke! But now it is much more out in the open.”
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