Liverpool sent clear message on Arne Slot future as Lionel Messi and point made

EXCLUSIVE: John Barnes on why Liverpool head coach Arne Slot should stay in charge beyond this season, with the Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo of managers unavailable

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is having a tough season(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Liverpool legend John Barnes says there is "no point" discussing the future of Arne Slot at Anfield because there are no better coaches out there who could be an upgrade on the Dutchman.

With Xabi Alonso out of work after he was fired by Real Madrid at the start of 2026, there has been plenty of speculation that the former Reds midfielder could take over after a difficult season for Slot. But Barnes has backed the current Liverpool boss as the best option for the job.

As it stands, Liverpool's participation in next season's Champions League is under threat, while the Reds have Manchester City and PSG to play in the two cup competitions they remain in.

"Absolutely," Barnes told Liverpool.com, on behalf of OLBG, when asked if Slot remains the right man. "Because if you could have a prime Jose Mourinho or a prime Alex Ferguson, who are we going to get?

"That's the thing when people talk about replacing managers or replacing players. You say, 'Let's get a new player.' Who are you going to get? Okay, well, let's get Lionel Messi. He's not coming. Let's get Cristiano Ronaldo. Let's get Vinicius Jr.

"So, as a manager, let's get Luis Enrique. He's not coming. So there's no point talking about replacing the manager when there is no better replacement out there.

Arne Slot is under pressure at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

"The more we focus on getting rid of managers, the more we undermine the efforts that are being done. And then it goes to work against the club.

"He won the league in his first year. And even when people say it was Jurgen Klopp's team, Jurgen Klopp's team finished third with Jurgen Klopp that last year.

"Jurgen Klopp's team did not win the league the year before. The team needed changing in terms of age and profile. So yeah, it'll take time, but I hope he's here next year."

Come the summer, regardless of who is in charge, Liverpool will need to dip into the transfer market again. But Barnes wants to see quality over quantity coming in — with one position a priority in his eyes.

"Well, probably center-back," Barnes said. "We signed one who is injured (Giovanni Leoni). But once again, we have a big enough squad. We have to work with what we have.

"And as much as when we say a player gets injured or loses form, the answer can't be to sign another player. We sign them because they're good players.

"Get the environment right for them to perform. If the environment isn't working, let's work on that. Because otherwise, every time you don't play well, you're going to sign a player for £50M and give him £10M a year. You end up with so many players.

"That is not the solution. We have good enough players, but we need the harmony, the togetherness, the understanding, which we have to work on together."