Arne Slot calls season toughest of career despite Liverpool’s £450m spend

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has described his current campaign as the toughest of his managerial career, admitting the club is failing to meet its own standards despite heavy investment in the squad.

Liverpool’s defeat to Manchester City on Sunday left the reigning Premier League champions sixth on the table, four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea.

The Reds are level on points with Brentford and would have dropped below them on goal difference but for a late City goal being disallowed.

Slot, who replaced Jurgen Klopp in June 2024, guided Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th top-flight title in his debut season.

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However, this term has proven more difficult, despite the club spending close to £450 million on new signings during the summer, including a British-record £125 million move for striker Alexander Isak.

Liverpool have won 11 matches, drawn six and lost eight in the 2025–26 league season.

Asked by BBC Sport whether this was the toughest campaign of his career, Slot said: “By a mile. All the other seasons I have managed, there was only positives.

“I don’t think I have ever lost two games in a row until now. It’s an exception for me, I am not used to it.

“I don’t think we feel we’ve only lost two of our last 17. A draw feels like a loss.

“The players know what the standards of Liverpool mean and we aren’t performing to those standards. They feel that disappointment.”

With five Premier League clubs expected to qualify for next season’s Champions League, Slot said failure to secure a top-five finish would make the campaign unacceptable.

“If we don’t have Champions League football next season, it’s definitely not been an acceptable season,” he said.

Liverpool travel to face Sunderland on Wednesday night, with the hosts unbeaten at home. Slot faces selection problems, with Dominik Szoboszlai suspended and defenders Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez sidelined by injury.

Isak and centre-back Giovanni Leoni are also long-term absentees.

Despite the pressure, Slot said the season could still end positively.

“There’s still a possibility we can do something special this season,” he said.

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