Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, former Liverpool and Real Madrid player Michael Owen said his feeling is that the former Liverpool boss was let go due to dissatisfaction within the Anfield ranks:
“Towards the end of the season you could feel the fans’ unrest, and I was initially believing that Liverpool would give Slot more time and he would be in charge next season.
“But once the season was ending, if you asked fans at the matches, there was a real feeling that they didn’t believe Slot was the right
man to take the club football forward and I believe the board could also feel this which I think helped them make the decision that a change was necessary.
“I thought Slot did excellent in his first season. Winning the Premier League is no mean feat and also with not much movement in the transfer window as well, so mostly inheriting Jürgen Klopp’s squad.
“But with a big transfer window over last summer, really strengthening the striker positions, for some reason, I know there was plenty of injuries, but it just didn’t progress the way anyone wanted.”
Fans certainly had mixed feelings over what was at fault for Liverpool’s poor performances last season, but there’s no denying that Slot’s approach was part of the discussion. It is, of course, unclear how much first-hand knowledge Owen has both on the backroom decision-making and on fan sentiment more broadly, but a lack of full-throated support from the Anfield faithful almost certainly made the hierarchy’s decision easier to make.
