Arne Slot’s axe was brutal but most Liverpool supporters agree he had to go | David Usher

Fan discontent boiled over last season but the head coach wasn’t the only one who made mistakes at the club

Inevitable and necessary. Despite the continual briefings coming out of the UK side of the club’s operation, the silence from Liverpool’s American ownership was deafening. No vote of confidence, no contract extension talks and – most significant – no official appointment of Etiënne Reijnen to Arne Slot’s coaching staff. According to multiple reports last week, Slot was bringing in his old mucker to help turn the ship around, but the longer that remained unconfirmed it began to feel as if something was afoot.

Eventually, on Saturday lunchtime, six days after the final game of a season in which the Reds lost 19 games, Slot was gone. Regardless of what happens next, it was the correct decision. If the next guy does not do well, that does not mean sacking Slot was a mistake. It made no sense for Liverpool’s ownership to allow this to continue, regardless of how much Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes reportedly wanted to stick with the status quo.