Andoni Iraola is tipped to replace Slot, with his high-octane style reminiscent of Jurgen Klopp’s gegenpress. Can he bring the good times back?
| Liverpool Outright Markets | Odds |
|---|---|
| Liverpool to win the 2026/27 Premier League | 6.00 |
| Liverpool to finish in the top 4 of the 2026/27 Premier League | 1.40 |
| Liverpool to win the 2026/27 Champions League | 11.00 |
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Would Iraola’s arrival bring the gegenpress back to Anfield?
Although Iraola has only won the Cypriot Super Cup, the Spaniard has made huge strides with most of his teams. At Mirandes, Iraola steered the minnows to the last four of the Spanish Cup for only the second time in the club’s 92-year history. They knocked out three La Liga teams en route to the semi-finals.
Iraola then led Rayo Vallecano back into La Liga via the playoffs. He also enjoyed further cup success with Rayo, reaching the semis in their first season back in the top-flight.
After missing out on the vacant Leeds job in 2023, Iraola then joined Bournemouth in June of that year. In the last three years, he’s moulded the Cherries in his own image. They’ve become an intense, all-action side with a thirst for scoring goals.
This season, Bournemouth qualified for the Europa League for the first time in the club’s history. They scored 58 goals in 38 games, two more than fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Their passes per defensive action (PPDA) this season was just 11.1, the fifth-lowest in the league. It also suggests the Cherries harried their opponents hard to quickly retrieve possession, in the same mould as Klopp’s Liverpool side.
They also ranked third in the league in turnovers completed (298). That’s 13 more than Liverpool under Slot. Additionally, the number of turnovers that ended in an attacking shot was 19.13% - a figure only bettered by Chelsea, Man City, and Leeds.
One of the main reasons Arne Slot didn’t last at Liverpool was his poor stylistic fit. The Dutchman’s approach was too slow compared to Jurgen Klopp’s effective chaos, known as the gegenpress.
In Liverpool’s tame Champions League exit to PSG in April, they racked up a meagre xG of just 0.17. This was the lowest xG output since Slot took charge in the summer of 2024.
Iraola favours a system similar to Klopp's, built on high pressing and quick counter-pressing. The Cherries have been one of the most direct attacking sides of any Premier League club under Iraola. They averaged 1.88 metres per second upfield in 25-26, putting them fourth for direct speed on transitions.
Slot’s Liverpool ranked seventh-highest, by comparison, at 1.84 metres per second.
Iraola’s front-footed approach led Bournemouth to their highest-ever finish in English football.
There’s also history between Iraola and Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes. Hughes was the man who hired Iraola for Bournemouth back in the summer of 2023. It’s no surprise that Hughes feels Iraola can make the step up and achieve Anfield greatness.
Will 2026/27 be a rebuild year or do they have the tools to push for trophies?
Whoever assumes the helm at Anfield this summer, attention will swiftly turn to Liverpool’s chances of success next season.
There’s no doubting the talent on paper within the Reds’ squad, but the level of disruption is significant too.
They made a £450m+ outlay on the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong. None of these made immediate impacts in 2025-26.
Wirtz registered just eight goal contributions in 33 EPL appearances. Kerkez managed just one assist from left back. Meanwhile, Isak scored just three goals in 14 appearances before his season-ending leg injury.
Liverpool will need these players to grow and make their mark under new management.
Injuries muddy the water for both Ekitike and Isak. Ekitike is set to miss most of 2026 with his Achilles injury. Meanwhile, Isak only recently returned to match action after breaking his leg last December.
The Reds will hope Isak has a fruitful summer with Sweden at the World Cup, helping him rebuild his confidence. He scored in a warm-up friendly against Norway this week, which should give Reds fans confidence for next season.
There’s also something of a squad exodus for Slot’s replacement to deal with, alongside the crisis in confidence among new signings.
The departures of icons Salah and Robertson will be hugely felt. Meanwhile, Konate is also set to leave the club on a free transfer. This leaves wafer-thin defensive options and a lot resting on the shoulders of veteran Virgil Van Dijk.
It’s possible that Liverpool’s new boss goes out and recruits a partner for Van Dijk, or even his long-term replacement.
Many pundits suggested that Mo Salah's aura was making it difficult for the likes of Frimpong, Wirtz, and Isak to shine. With Salah moving on to pastures new, this could free them up mentally to create a new chapter in the Reds’ history books.
In truth, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the outright odds on Liverpool for next season. They are currently priced as 5/1 third favourites to lift the Premier League trophy.
That’s a probability of 16.67% and isn’t a price we’d be prepared to back right now. The Reds have won only two titles in the last 25 seasons at a strike rate of only 8%.
Arsenal start the season from a position of strength and stability. Even Manchester City are unlikely to have the level of squad churn that will occur at Anfield this summer. That’s despite the exit of legendary boss Pep Guardiola.
The bookies feel that Liverpool’s floor for next season should be a top-four finish as a bare minimum. However, they believe there’s a 71.43% chance this will happen next season. We feel that’s too high to back with any confidence right now.
Over the last 20 years, the Reds have finished in the top four just 11 times. They’ve only finished inside the top four in 60% of the last five years. That’s despite the Reds being a bigger force now than at other points in time since the EPL’s 1992 birth.
There is simply no margin if the defensive rebuild goes wrong, Isak’s fitness doesn’t improve, or Slot’s replacement fails to hit the ground running.
Backing the Reds to shine in Europe once again feels like the variance play. Given the probability of being crowned Champions League winners is less than 10%, this could be a speculative punt if their squad depth returns. They’ve made at least the last eight in three of the last six UCL campaigns.
However, the Reds could be just as easily exposed to early-season teething problems under a new manager and system.
In all honesty, so much depends on how quickly Slot’s replacement can integrate his style of play.
Iraola feels like someone who could reignite things quickly with a squad built in Klopp’s image. The players desperately needed someone like the Spaniard to remove the shackles and strike that match.