Liverpool’s clearest signal yet that Arne Slot is staying is the move to bring in Etienne Reijnen. Reijnen left Feyenoord last Sunday to join Liverpool’s coaching staff, and the pair already know each other well. Slot said they first met in 2010 at PEC Zwolle, and he also admitted he had tried to sign him two years ago when he first arrived at Anfield.

Slot was blunt when asked about the move. “As I always say about players, it is the same about staff members. As long as things are not done, then I will not be commenting on who we are signing or who we don't,” he said. He added that he has “a very high regard for him” and that he had tried to bring Reijnen in before. That is not the language of a manager being cut loose.

Why the Reijnen move matters

The important part is not just familiarity. Reijnen’s move to Liverpool in 2024 collapsed because he could not secure a work permit, so this has already been a concrete target once before. If Liverpool are now pushing again, the direction of travel is obvious enough: support the manager, add someone he trusts, and deal with the noise later.

That noise has not gone away. Liverpool sit 5th in the Premier League with 59 points from 37 matches, after the 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa that made it their 12th league loss of the campaign. They also have Champions League qualification still at stake, with Brentford due at Anfield on Sunday.

Wirtz pushes back on the dressing-room speculation

Florian Wirtz has been just as direct on the public side of the story. He said Mohamed Salah has known the club for a long time and should be allowed to speak openly. “If you want to speak, you should be able to speak,” Wirtz said.

He also moved against the idea that Salah’s comments were aimed at Slot. “I don't think he attacked anyone,” he said, before adding, “There is no thought about not being behind the manager. This is just something (talked about) on the outside.” That matters because the outside noise has been doing a lot of the work around this story.

Salah’s own position is part of why the discussion has stayed alive. He has made 26 Premier League appearances this season and has 13 league goal involvements, but his recent farewell message has still fed debate about where Liverpool are headed. Wirtz’s line was simple: the dressing room is not the problem people keep trying to make it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →