Liverpool are in a period of uncertainty, with FSG still yet to provide clarity on Arne Slot's position in the dugout.

Last year's Premier League champions finished fifth, scraping their way into the Champions League. With so many tactical imbalances, it's understandable that the Reds might fancy a switch.

Too many superstars have failed to click. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, the two most expensive signings in Premier League history, both flattered to deceive.

Injuries haven't helped, but Liverpool can ill-afford another below-par campaign, and so sporting director Richard Hughes has a big decision on his hands ahead of pre-season.

Liverpool in talks for Slot successor

Liverpool have regressed in regard to their playing style this season, leading fans to clamour for Slot to be sacked. They only just survived the fight for Champions League qualification, and while FSG anticipate a big summer, the most instrumental change could come from the dugout.

The word stemming down from the top is that FSG are planning for the new campaign with Slot at the helm. However, the jury is still out, with concrete reports suggesting Liverpool are still surveying the market for a new head coach.

According to Sky Italia, Liverpool have made an early enquiry to ascertain whether Andoni Iraola could step in as Slot's successor, though AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen are also firmly in the running.

The outgoing Bournemouth boss has established himself as one of Europe's top young coaches across three years at the Vitality Stadium. His "rock and roll" football, as defined by the man himself, could be exactly what the Liverpool persuasion is searching for, igniting the likes of Wirtz.

Why Wirtz would love Iraola at Liverpool

Iraola has lifted Bournemouth away from the relegation fodder and taken them into Europe. The Cherries will play Europa League football next year, but Iraola won't be there. Could he be at Anfield?

He's been described as an "elite" coach by pundit Jamie Redknapp, one of the most exciting tacticians around with ideals regarding fitness and athleticism and attacking play that would allow him to dovetail into the Anfield set-up.

The Spaniard, 43, certainly leans closer toward Jurgen Klopp's gegenpressing style than Slot does, and for that, Wirtz could benefit greatly, returning to the standard in Germany that cemented him as one of the brightest attacking talents in the world.

Wirtz is one of the Premier League's most talented players, accomplished during his years in Germany with Leverkusen. There he drew plaudits from all over, but adaptation to life at Anfield proved tough, hardly helped by the wider imbalances of Slot's side.

Exceptional in his homeland, we know the talent is there, but Slot proved unable to eke out more than the crust of that potential. Let's put it this way: If Wirtz had fired on all cylinders throughout the campaign, Liverpool would have enjoyed a far greater season.

Curiously, much of Wirtz's underlying data from the Premier League mirror metrics in Germany. It is the application of his attacking output that has fallen flat.

Slotball became laboured and tired as the 2025/26 season deepened, and Wirtz lost the gains he had made over the winter period.

Iraola's fast and aggressive system could prove the tonic that the Anfield side need after such a draining year. Slot is a good manager; he proved his worth last season, when he led Liverpool to the title with Jurgen Klopp's seat still warm.

But change is needed now, and Liverpool could hit the jackpot with Iraola, whose tactical identity would swiftly endear him to the fanbase, and whose Bournemouth project speaks loudly of his potential as an 'elite' manager who could lead a club like Liverpool to hordes of gold.