Andoni Iraola has taken charge at Anfield following Arne Slot's dismissal, inheriting a club in need of serious rebuilding after one of the most underwhelming title defences in Liverpool's recent history.
Slot's side finished the 2025/26 Premier League season 24 points worse off than when they lifted the title 12 months earlier, ending the campaign closer to the relegation zone than to champions Arsenal. The 20 defeats in all competitions represented the most in a single season since Graeme Souness managed the club in 1992/93, and a goal difference that dropped by 35 underlined the extent of the collapse at both ends of the pitch.
Fixing a leaky defence
Liverpool conceded 53 Premier League goals last season — a record for a 38-game campaign at the club. Among those, 20 came from set pieces (excluding penalties), the joint-highest figure in the Premier League alongside, as it happens, Iraola's former club Bournemouth.
Reinforcing that defensive unit will be complicated by the departure of Ibrahima Konaté, who has left on a free transfer. Jeremy Jacquet, currently recovering from a shoulder injury, is expected to partner Virgil van Dijk at centre-back, with Giovanni Leoni also in contention once he returns from the ACL injury he suffered on his debut last September.
Iraola demonstrated at Bournemouth that he can rebuild a back line from scratch, having lost his entire first-choice defence and goalkeeper in the summer of 2025, but successfully integrating two inexperienced central defenders into a new Liverpool system will be among his most urgent early tasks.
Resolving key contract situations
The futures of several senior players demand Iraola's attention before a ball is kicked next season. Reports from Italy have linked Alisson Becker with a move to Juventus, though Liverpool triggered a contract extension in March to keep the goalkeeper at the club until 2027, and the club are understood to expect him to honour that deal.
The situations of Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez are less straightforward. Jones has attracted interest from Inter Milan, who attempted to sign him in January, while both players' contracts expire in 12 months. Iraola will want clarity on their intentions as a matter of priority.
Reviving the Anfield atmosphere
Liverpool's home faithful grew visibly frustrated as the season deteriorated, booing their own team off the pitch following insipid draws with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Slot was unable to find answers when opponents deployed low blocks or long-ball tactics to stifle his side, and that inability to adapt ultimately sealed his fate when sporting director Richard Hughes conducted his end-of-season review.
In the statement confirming Slot's departure, Liverpool described the need for
