Arne Slot says he has ‘every reason to believe’ he will be at Liverpool next season

Arne Slot has said he has ‘every reason to believe’ he will remain Liverpool’s head coach next season and get the chance to rectify this campaign’s decline

Arne Slot has said he has “every reason to believe” he will remain Liverpool’s head coach next season and get the opportunity to rectify the champions’ decline.

Slot’s position has been the subject of intense debate for much of a disappointing season, and Anfield’s frustrations rose to the surface last weekend when boos accompanied the 1-1 draw with Chelsea. Internally, Liverpool’s position has not changed. There remains support for the coach who delivered the Premier League title in his debut season and recognition of the numerous problems he has encountered since.

Liverpool visit fifth-placed Aston Villa on Friday knowing victory would secure Champions League qualification. Asked whether he expected to be in charge next season, the Dutch coach replied: “I don’t think I am deciding that alone by myself, but I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season. First of all, I am contracted to this club and second of all from all the talks we are having. That is my take on it.

“But if you don’t have the best season, especially if you compare with last season – if you compare it with other seasons you might have a different debate – then this has definitely not been a great season and it is also normal that criticism comes. We have all had our share, and with ‘all’ I mean the players have had their share, the manager has had their share and other people in the club have had their share. That is how things work nowadays if you don’t win the league.”

Slot reiterated that he was heavily involved in planning for next season with the hierarchy. “We know where we go on tour, our plans have been made, and talks have been ongoing between the club and new players and I am involved in that,” he said.

Also involved in planning for next season will have been Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, who dined with Slot at a farewell dinner for Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson on Tuesday, Michael Edwards and Mike Gordon, the chief executive of football and president of owners Fenway Sports Group respectively.

Asked whether any of the trio had reassured him they wanted him to stay next season, Slot said: “Good question. Do you think I’m going to tell you now what Mike and Michael and Richard are exactly telling me? So the answer to that is no, I’m not going to share that. If I say: ‘We don’t talk about this,’ then people will say: ‘Oh, why didn’t you talk about this?’ I don’t share any information about what we talk about in one-on-one situations.”

On the reasons for believing he would remain in situ, he said:“I don’t know how to say this in English perfectly but there is no reason to think that it is not going to be the situation. It is all about you guys who are talking about this and probably social media even more. It is not something I am talking about every day. I am talking about Aston Villa. For me, nothing has changed. What has changed is the results. My relationship with the people I speak to every single day has not changed a single bit.”

Slot admitted criticism of his team was valid this season but reiterated his belief that their problems would be rectified. Leipzig’s Yan Diomande is one of the wingers under consideration as Liverpool look to replace Salah, who could return from injury “for a few minutes” at Villa Park.

Slot said: “A lot has been said that we have been counterattacked too much and that we were too openagainst counterattacks. If you are too open against counterattacks that can only come because you take a lot of risks. It is quite an offensive thought, isn’t it? So that says a lot about our intentions.

“Can we do it better when we are in the final third? That is clear and obvious. And can we protect the counterattacks better? That is also obvious. I don’t think we are counterattacked so many times but when it happens it usually leads to goals. Is it too easy to play through our press? That is 100% true. For large parts of our season it has not been as good as the season before. I know exactly what is needed to correct that.”