Liverpool have been tipped to swap Arne Slot for departing Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola when the summer arrives. Speculation surrounding Slot's position at Anfield has gathered pace following the weekend's 1-1 stalemate with Chelsea.
Widespread jeers rang around the ground at the final whistle, with a number of supporters also venting their frustration at the decision to take off Rio Ngumoha during the game. The Reds made the ideal start when Ryan Gravenberch broke the deadlock in the sixth minute, only for Chelsea to pull level before the break through Enzo Fernandez.
The draw leaves Liverpool sitting fourth in the Premier League standings in what has been a deeply disappointing title defence. It has prompted growing calls for the club to part company with Slot, either straight away or come the end of the campaign.
Cascarino's theory on Slot's successor
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Chelsea striker and pundit Tony Cascarino offered his take on what might unfold over the summer. "The booings are happening more regularly at Liverpool now," he said. "I want Arne Slot to get to the end of the season and then Liverpool to make a call. I'm concerned because it's not good."
He added: "He (sporting director Richard Hughes) brought him (Iraola) to Bournemouth and now he's at Liverpool. He did that negotiation. He was there. You have connections in football and people you deal with. He'd have dealt with the agent. He'd have worked with him."
"Now, I'm putting two and two and making five, but it's not that unlikely that a club like Liverpool could look at him. He's done an incredible job at Bournemouth. I look at Bournemouth and the way they play and the amount of talent that has just improved under him. Now, this is a guy that couldn't buy a win when he first got the job. And since then, his teams have literally been on Champions League form and they're not too far off the Champions League spots now."
Iraola's departure confirmed
It has already been confirmed that Iraola will depart Bournemouth at the conclusion of the current campaign, after three years. The Cherries have already unveiled Marco Rose as his successor. "He's probably been offered something that's better. It's like when you're a player," Cascarino added on the Bournemouth boss. "If you play brilliantly for a club at Bournemouth, like [Antoine] Semenyo or others, you get the vultures hanging over you and take you away to the bigger clubs. I'm sure he knows where he's going."
"We've got Marco Silva in that position. We don't quite know what the outcome is going to be. Obviously, Oliver Glasner as well at Crystal Palace. Don't tell me these guys don't know where they're going. Jurgen Klopp, that announcement, when it came out he was leaving Liverpool. That was made in the November. It was kept on hold for four months before it came out. Seemingly no one knew. There obviously were a handful of people. But it's no different. These guys, I would imagine, would know exactly where their next destination is."
Iraola has earned plaudits for his achievements with Bournemouth. The Cherries are in sixth spot in the table, with an outside shot at securing Champions League qualification for the 2026/27 campaign.
