Danny Murphy makes pessimistic Liverpool prediction if Arne Slot stays - 'I don't see it'

Arne Slot looks set to remain in post as Liverpool head coach next season, but Danny Murphy is not convinced that it is a good idea for the Reds to avoid making a change

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during the Merseyside derby.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Danny Murphy is not convinced that Liverpool keeping Arne Slot beyond the end of this season is the right decision, even with the Dutchman looking set to guide the Reds back into the Champions League places.

Liverpool is fifth in the Premier League standings at the moment and with five games remaining, has a five-point buffer. However, it does still have to play Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford.

But after back-to-back league wins and a morale-boosting late victory over Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the mood has shifted. Ibrahima Konate has confirmed he is staying and while the summer will be important, the outlook appears to have improved.

"I'm a bit torn," Murphy said on talkSPORT. "I'm surprised by [Slot staying]. My gut feeling is Liverpool, generally, when the fans have turned to the level they have, is that there’s no comeback.

"The finishing in the top five is obviously going to help his argument, because you’ve still got the revenue of Champions League football.

"I don’t know the hierarchy and how they think and what their plan is for the summer, but I will tell you that whoever is in charge, whether it’s him or someone else, there’s a lot of work to be done.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during the Champions League game against PSG.(Image: Harry Langer/DeFodi via Getty Images)

"Players leaving, players coming in. It’s going to be a big summer at Liverpool, which sounds ridiculous considering what went on last summer."

Murphy believes that a change might still be beneficial, though Slot only won the Premier League title 12 months ago and has had to deal with lots of mitigating factors this term.

"There’s a minority [of fans] who think he should stay," Murphy continued. "I think from a footballing perspective, if you look at how bad Liverpool have been and how many games they’ve lost, there’s a feeling that they’re [the players] not hearing him.

"It’s very hard to get that back once it’s gone. I don’t see them becoming title contenders next season if he stays.

"Not just because of him, but I think they’d have more chance to go back to the type of football that Liverpool fans want [if Slot left], because I don’t think he’s going to do it. That high-energy, high-press type of football."

Liverpool.com says: Next season, the Reds should not be so unfortunate with injuries. While the likes of Alexander Isak came in last summer, the Swede has not been seen much and there is nothing Slot could have done about that.

He should have got more out of the players at his disposal, and if next season starts slowly, he could come under pressure quickly again from supporters, but Liverpool knows it has a coach capable of winning the title — Slot has already proven that.

With a couple of strong additions in the transfer market to inject some pace into the Liverpool attack and ensure that it has more depth in key departments, things could improve quickly.