{"id":46761,"date":"2026-05-05T02:56:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T06:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/im-not-surprised-lineker-hints-at-sacking-liverpool-manager-next-season\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T02:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T06:56:14","slug":"im-not-surprised-lineker-hints-at-sacking-liverpool-manager-next-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/im-not-surprised-lineker-hints-at-sacking-liverpool-manager-next-season\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I&#8217;m not surprised&#8217; &#8211; Lineker hints at sacking Liverpool manager next season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/im-not-surprised-lineker-hints-at-sacking-liverpool-manager-next-season\/#Arne_Slott_continues_to_struggle_at_Liverpool\" >Arne Slott continues to struggle at Liverpool<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/05\/im-not-surprised-lineker-hints-at-sacking-liverpool-manager-next-season\/#Alonsos_availability_could_put_pressure_on_the_slot\" >Alonso&#8217;s availability could put pressure on the slot.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><strong>The narrative surrounding Anfield has become decidedly negative in recent weeks. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following last weekend&#8217;s disappointing 3-2 loss to arch-rivals Manchester United, Liverpool&#8217;s 2025-26 season has officially sped up even further.<\/p>\n<div aria-setsize=\"-1\" id=\"message-list_1773822614.804109\" style=\"clear:left;\">\n<div>\n<div aria-roledescription=\"message\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><b>Download the official CaughtOffSide app to get all the latest news and updates straight to your phone. above <\/b><b><u><span draggable=\"true\">apple<\/span><\/u><\/b><b>    &#038; <\/b><b><u><span draggable=\"true\">Google play<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This loss was their 11th defeat in the Premier League this season.<\/p>\n<p>Manager Arne Slott is expected to remain in his job as long as he leads the Reds to a top-five finish and secures elite football in Europe, but there is no denying that the immense pressure is starting to mount.<\/p>\n<p>Legendary striker and pundit Gary Lineker has added fuel to the fire by admitting he would not be genuinely surprised if the club made a ruthless managerial change by bringing in former midfield maestro Xabi Alonso this summer.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Arne_Slott_continues_to_struggle_at_Liverpool\"><\/span>Arne Slott continues to struggle at Liverpool<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Just 12 months ago, Slott was deemed untouchable after winning the Premier League title in style in his debut season in the Anfield dugout. However, this campaign has completely stalled.<\/p>\n<p>The team has struggled to find his absolute best form after spending big on signings like Florian Wirtz, and a frustrating injury to striker Alexander Isak has severely hampered their attacking flow.<\/p>\n<p>Lineker made no secret of his thoughts on the situation in the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWill Slott be around next season?\u201d<\/em> Mr Lineker asked Mr Shearer and Mr Richards.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;We&#8217;ve lost 11 games in the Premier League, but we&#8217;re still in the Champions League. I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if we had Xabi Alonso next season.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that Alonso is currently a high-profile free agent and has been out of work since parting ways with Real Madrid in January 2026.<\/p>\n<p>He was initially heavily linked with the Liverpool job when manager Jurgen Klopp resigned, but chose to remain at Bayer Leverkusen and ultimately moved to Madrid in June 2025.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alonsos_availability_could_put_pressure_on_the_slot\"><\/span>Alonso&#8217;s availability could put pressure on the slot.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Currently, Liverpool are mathematically incredibly close to achieving their main goal of the season.<\/p>\n<p>They only need four more points from their remaining games against Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford to fully guarantee qualification for next season&#8217;s Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>There is no doubt that Slott has earned the right to try and resolve this current mess, but of course Alonso&#8217;s shadow will continue to loom large at Anfield.<\/p>\n<p>If Liverpool do not do well in their last three games, the club&#8217;s ownership group may decide that bringing the former Champions League-winning midfielder back to his hometown is the perfect way to revive the club.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Van Dijk replacement: Liverpool have shortlisted two names to replace the Dutchman<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The narrative surrounding Anfield has become decidedly negative in recent weeks. Following last weekend&#8217;s disappointing 3-2 loss to arch-rivals Manchester United, Liverpool&#8217;s 2025-26 season has officially sped up even further. Download the official CaughtOffSide app to get all the latest news and updates straight to your phone. above apple &#038; Google play This loss was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"class_list":{"0":"post-46761","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}