After Slot left the Liverpool manager position, The Athletic published a lengthy article revealing why Liverpool sacked Slot and why the club wanted Iraola to succeed him. The following is the second half of this article.
It's intriguing that after Slot's dismissal, club sources spoke of Liverpool's "next phase" requiring "a more aggressive, more proactive pressing, and more urgent style of football."
The decision was made by Hughes and Edwards and approved by the Fenway Sports Group board, which includes principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, and Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon.
There was a concern that if they kept Slot and the next season started poorly, the situation at Anfield could quickly turn toxic. And if they were forced to make a change in the autumn, finding a suitable successor would be more difficult than this summer, given the available candidates at that time.
"This was a decision we didn't want to make, but we ultimately concluded that we had to proceed with it, albeit extremely reluctantly," the Fenway Sports Group executive added.
Almost 24 hours after Saturday's announcement, Liverpool players publicly mentioned Slot's departure.
Captain Van Dijk broke the silence on Sunday, writing: "We will never forget winning the Premier League in our first season together. Thank you, coach, and good luck to you and your family in the future."
Others quickly followed suit, including Ekitike: "Thank you for everything you taught me and for the time you gave me on and off the pitch. All the best, coach."
Like most club staff, the entire team did not learn of Slot's dismissal until shortly before 12:30 PM on Saturday, just four and a half hours before the Champions League final kick-off between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
There had been friction behind the scenes, and throughout the season, setbacks repeatedly dragged down the team's morale. However, sources close to several core players insisted that it would be unfair to suggest Slot had "lost the dressing room." It is understood that some of them had sent messages directly to Slot before Van Dijk's social media post on Sunday.
More accurately, a shared sense of frustration within the squad grew as external negativity and criticism of on-field performance and results intensified.
After the loss to Aston Villa, when over a dozen players liked Salah's controversial social media post lamenting Liverpool's loss of identity and calling for a return to the "heavy metal football" synonymous with the Jürgen Klopp era, it was widely perceived that they were siding with their teammate against Slot.
"No, not at all," Wirtz insisted in an interview with The Athletic in the final week of the season. "Overall, I like Salah's mentality—how he sees things, how he works. He's someone you should listen to because he's well-informed. He wasn't attacking anyone. As for the 'likes' given by the players, I think that was blown out of proportion. For me, it was just something he wanted to say because he was leaving. He wanted to keep everyone at the club on their toes, that we had to give more and do better. None of us were satisfied with this season. The outside world always tries to create a rift between the team and the coach. We had no intention of not supporting the coach."
In assessing the issue of Salah's declining performance, some players sympathized with him. They believed that the tactical approach in the early part of the season revolved around Wirtz or Ekitike, which inevitably meant reduced involvement for the Egyptian.
They also privately questioned the wisdom of moving their most influential midfielder, Szoboszlai, to fill the right-back void in Bradley's absence. Others felt new signings received easier integration and seemed more likely to retain their places even if they underperformed.
Some players noticed that tactical details in training, meetings, and pre-match planning became less comprehensive towards the end of the season. For those who felt Slot's previous speeches were too long, this was seen as a good thing, but becoming more concise did not lead to any noticeable improvement.
Sources said that in the game lost at Villa Park, there was uncertainty among the team about who was responsible for what in defending set pieces, allowing the home side to score their first goal, and the related accountability discussions continued in the away dressing room.
Four days after that match, on May 19th, a meeting was held at Kirkby, where many players believed Slot might be replaced. However, they were not certain until the news broke on Saturday.
Senior club sources insisted that no players were consulted on the decision to change managers.
Both players and staff maintained that Slot was unfairly criticized externally for the time off he gave the squad. Club data showed the squad had 47 days off in the 2023-24 season (Klopp's last season), 50 days in the 2024-25 season, and 45 days in the 2025-26 season.
"Those in power never lost faith in Arne's ability as a coach," a high-ranking Anfield source commented. "They just could no longer see a path to help him out of the problems he was facing at Liverpool."
Iraola fits many requirements. In his three years at AFC Bournemouth, his record was exceptional, leading them to 12th, 9th, and 6th place finishes in the Premier League, respectively. He announced in April that he would step down when his contract expired at the end of the season, leaving AFC Bournemouth with their first-ever European qualification in club history.
Given the sales of players such as Kerkéz, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Ouattara, and Semenyo during his tenure, Iraola's achievements are even more impressive.
Hughes knows him better than anyone, given that he appointed him as Gary O'Neil's successor in the summer of 2023. The 43-year-old Spaniard meets Liverpool's requirements for a stylistic shift. He is available, requires no compensation, and is accustomed to working as a head coach rather than a manager.
Regarding other potential options, Sebastian Hoeneß of Stuttgart and Pierre Sage of Lens were highly regarded. Luis Enrique's accomplishments would be highly persuasive, but Liverpool did not expect him to leave Paris Saint-Germain after winning consecutive Champions League titles.
There were indications that delaying Slot's dismissal cost Liverpool the opportunity to sign Xabi Alonso. However, the reality is that the new Chelsea manager was not considered a serious contender by Edwards and Hughes.
Since Iraola made it clear he was ready for a new challenge, he has been a hot commodity. In the past two weeks, as he weighed his options, he has been actively involved in talks with Crystal Palace, Bayer Leverkusen, and AC Milan.
Just the week before last, he had a meeting in London with representatives from AC Milan, but organizing a second round of discussions proved frustratingly difficult. This further corroborated indications that Liverpool only contacted Iraola's team in recent days.
Now formal negotiations will follow, with growing anticipation that the former Rayo Vallecano manager will head to Anfield.