Former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is one of the leading favorites to replace Arne Slot in the Liverpool dugout after the Dutchman was sacked, but there could be some interesting alternatives
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| Liverpool could turn its attention to Lens boss Pierre Sage (L) and Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness (R) and alternatives to Andoni Iraola this summer |
Liverpool could look to turn its attention to two relatively unheard-of European managers as potential replacements for Arne Slot this summer.
The Reds decided to part ways with Slot, 47, following an end-of-season review this week, concluding that a fresh approach is required after the team failed to secure any silverware and limped to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League a year on from winning the title.
Heading up the list of frontrunners to replace the Dutchman in the hot seat at Anfield is Andoni Iraola, who is set to leave Bournemouth upon the expiry of his contract this summer following a record-breaking three years on the south coast.
The Spaniard led the Cherries to a sixth-place finish - three points behind Liverpool - and European football for the first time in the club's history after they secured a spot in the Europa League with a final-day 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Perhaps surprisingly, Iraola, 43, is yet to be snapped up by another club, but the timing of Slot's sacking makes him a leading favorite to replace the former Feyenoord boss at Anfield.
However, according to several reports, the Reds are also willing to cast their eye over the European market once more, just as they did with Slot, with Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness and Lens boss Pierre Sage said to be potential options, per The Athletic.
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| Hoeness, 44, recently qualified Stuttgart for the Champions League with a fourth-placed finish in the Bundesliga this season |
Hoeness, 44, is coming off the back of a season in which he led Stuttgart to a fourth-placed finish in the Bundesliga - securing Champions League football in 2026/27 in the process - and the Last 16 of the Europa League.
Last weekend, the German - who spent two seasons in charge of TSG Hoffenheim before being appointed at Stuttgart in April 2023 - saw his side defeated 3-0 by Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal final in Berlin, 12 months on from winning the competition.
Honess likes to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation and according to Bundesliga.com, "strikes the necessary balance between defensive stability and expansive attacking football. When his team finds that perfect flow, the results are spectacular."
As for Sage, he guided Lens to a remarkable second-place finish in Ligue 1 this season, pushing eventual winners PSG all the way right up until the final week of the season, eventually finishing six points behind the reigning champions.
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| Sage, 47, led Lens to its first-ever Coupe de France title last weekend |
The Frenchman, who previously managed Lyon between November 2023 and January 2025, was rewarded with the UNFP Ligue 1 Manager of the Year for his efforts, while last weekend saw him guide Lens to its first-ever Coupe de France title, with a 3-1 victory over Nice at the Stade de France.
Ironically, Sage, 47, made headlines in France last weekend by telling Téléfoot that his dream was to manage Liverpool amid continued doubts over his future.
It can be imagined, then, that the Reds would have no issue bringing the Frenchman to Anfield should they so wish, although he remains contracted at the Ligue 1 club until the summer of 2028.
- Tom Malley
