Joleon Lescott claims Arne Slot at risk of being fired after noticing something

Former Everton defender Joleon Lescott has suggested Liverpool manager Arne Slot could face the exit this summer, with reports that the club refused to let him bring Johnny Heitinga onto his coaching staff

Joleon Lescott believes Arne Slot is in danger of losing his job(Image: Getty Images)

Former Everton and Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott believes Liverpool boss Arne Slot could be fired this summer.

And there's one key piece of evidence that has led him to this conclusion. It was recently reported that Slot was denied permission to add John Heitinga to his coaching staff after the latter left Tottenham last month.

Lescott suggested this could be a foreboding sign regarding the board's long-term plans, as he told journalist Andy Dunn on the latest episode of the All Out Football podcast. Discussing Liverpool's title defense, Lescott described it as "very up and down" before referencing Diogo Jota's tragic death as a factor that must be taken into account.

Lescott said: "If a player suffered a bereavement and had an off season, we would be compassionate to that a lot more than we're being compassionate to the fact that everyone suffered that bereavement.

"Every player, every fan, every member of staff that's impacted. So there's got to be some real consideration to what that's done [to Liverpool's fortunes on the field]."

Lescott suggested Slot has fallen victim to the lofty expectations set by winning the league title in his first season. He also noted that Liverpool remains in the running for both the Champions League and FA Cup this year, arguing fans would have "snapped your hand off" for such accomplishments following Jurgen Klopp's exit in 2024.

Arne Slot has endured a tough season at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

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"So I don't know how [Slot] can be questioned," Lescott said. "And I've seen that he wanted Heitinga to come back in, and they've said no. So the fact they're stopping him from getting staffing means, yeah, there's probably potential change at the end of the season."

Former Everton full-back Heitinga, who came up against Slot's Feyenoord while serving as interim Ajax boss, departed Spurs following Thomas Frank's firing last month. It was reported that the Dutchman had the chance to remain at the club but opted to leave instead.

It's rarely a positive indicator when a manager is refused the chance to bring in his chosen staff. Nevertheless, there could be multiple explanations why Liverpool's hierarchy reportedly rejected Heitinga, who had previously worked as Slot's assistant in an earlier stint.

Liverpool's campaign took another blow on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in the Champions League. The Reds now face the challenge of reversing this deficit at Anfield in next week's second leg if they are to advance to the quarterfinals.

Slot's players are also scheduled to face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals in April. The Premier League title defense has long since been abandoned, with the club currently sitting sixth and 19 points adrift of leaders Arsenal with just nine matches left to play.

Liverpool has rebounded from its mid-season slump just in time to potentially clinch significant silverware this season.

However, following the exhilaration of his inaugural season at Anfield, Slot may already be battling to demonstrate he's still the right man for the job beyond this term.