Jamie Carragher has expressed surprise at the timing of Liverpool's decision to sack Arne Slot and has issued a warning over the potential appointment of Andoni Iraola as the club's next head coach. The former Liverpool defender believes blame for the club's poor Premier League title defence should be shared across the hierarchy and playing squad.
Slot was dismissed less than a week after a 1-1 draw with Brentford, despite guiding Liverpool to Champions League qualification on the final day. The Dutchman's tenure ended after a disappointing campaign that saw the Reds suffer 20 defeats in all competitions. Iraola, who is set to leave Bournemouth when his contract expires next month, has emerged as the leading candidate to become Liverpool's 23rd permanent manager.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher said: 'I was surprised. A lot that has been coming out of the club was that the manager was saying he was close to appointing a coach, so there's no way the club has sanctioned that if he thought he wasn't going to be in charge. I think it's sudden, caught everyone off guard including Arne Slot.' He added that an elite manager should find a way to fix the team, but Slot was not helped by recruitment.
Carragher praised Iraola's work at Bournemouth, where he led the club to European qualification for the first time, but stopped short of endorsing him for the Liverpool job. 'He's done a brilliant job. There are still huge question marks. The football is something Liverpool want to get to, high intense football, but it's not all about that when you're Liverpool manager. My worry is can you play at that intensity when you're playing every three days? Whoever comes in is a risk, but Liverpool did have a manager who won the league.'
Slot's final months were overshadowed by Mohamed Salah's public criticism of the head coach. The Egyptian, who left Anfield after nine years, warned of a decline in standards. Carragher condemned Salah's behaviour, saying: 'There is no doubt that he lost supporters. I don't ever want Liverpool Football Club to have player power to speak out about a manager who won the Premier League.'
