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We’re far from being in the realms of looking for a replacement for Arne Slot, but there’s no doubt that the Liverpool head coach is under pressure.
The Reds’ dismal slump continued on Saturday with a 3-2 defeat at Brentford - their fourth straight loss in the Premier League. They’ve already lost as many league games as they did throughout the entirety of last season, and find themselves trailing current leader Arsenal by seven points, having previously held a five-point advantage over the Gunners.
Slot of course has plenty of credit in the bank after winning the title in his first season in charge, but he certainly can’t escape some of the blame for his side’s current downturn.
And with former boss Jurgen Klopp back in the limelight recently, there is perhaps more attention being paid to Liverpool’s coaching staff now. After all, it wasn’t just the playing squad that saw an overhaul in the summer.
John Heitinga was the headline departure following last season’s title triumph, with Slot’s former assistant leaving to become Ajax’s new head coach, although that isn’t quite going according to plan either at the moment.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst came in to replace him, while Xavi Valero returned as the club’s lead goalkeeping coach, having previously worked under Rafa Benitez at Anfield.
But with problems mounting up, Slot may well be looking for some more help, and he may find it from another former Liverpool coach.
Fans might remember Thomas Gronnemark, the throw-in specialist who worked with the Reds during Klopp’s reign between 2018 and 2023.
His role was often much-maligned by rivals and pundits, but watching Liverpool struggle to deal with Brentford’s threat from long throws on Saturday, you can certainly see why he might be needed again.
And Gronnemark has left the door open to a potential return to Merseyside. Replying to a supporter on Sunday who had asked him if he wanted a job back at Liverpool, the Dane responded on X: “Always ready to help mate.”
Gronnemark’s hint comes after Klopp himself suggested a return to Anfield could be on the table in the future, although the German is in no rush to get back into management.
"I said I will never coach a team in England again, that means if it's Liverpool, theoretically it's possible," Klopp said on the Diary of a CEO podcast. "I don't know exactly, I love what I do right now. I don't miss coaching, I do coach now but just different.
"I don't miss standing in the rain, two-and-a-half [to] three hours; I don't miss going to press conferences three times a week, and having 12 interviews a week. I don't miss that; I don't.
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"I don't miss being in the dressing room, I coached something like 1,080 games so I was in a dressing room often. I don't want to die in a dressing room because it's nice. It smells.
"There might be something, I'm 58, I could make the decision in a few years... I don't know. Do I have to make the decision today that I will not coach again but thank god I don't have to, I can just see what the future brings.
"Now I'm in a project I really love, I like doing what I'm doing right now. In my mind, only if I'm focused 100 per cent, I can do it really good."
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