The truth about Slot sack and ‘dramatic return’ for Klopp as Liverpool ‘conversations’ revealed

Liverpool ‘could ask’ Jurgen Klopp to make a ‘dramatic return’ soon and sort out this Arne Slot mess after the German’s ’emphatic response’ to a slump.

And if you’re never sure which angle to take on an Ibrahima Konate story, just do them all.

Klopp a load of that

It would be easy for Mediawatch to sit here and point out that The Sun‘s exclusive about Jurgen Klopp replacing Arne Slot as Liverpool manager for the rest of the season is palpable nonsense, purely because it comes from a publication that is not circulated in the area for, ultimately, lying about Liverpool.

Ken Lawrence simply doesn’t feel like the most well-connected Liverpool journalist out there to land a story of such magnitude that has bypassed your James Pearces and the Dominic Kings of this world. That’s all.

But let’s humour this idea that ‘LIVERPOOL could ask Jurgen Klopp to make a dramatic return if they sack Arne Slot.’

They certainly could. They could ask Sir Alex Ferguson to do it, or Jimmy Corkhill. ‘Could’ is slightly different to ‘actually feasibly might’.

‘Fan favourite Klopp, 58, who was replaced by Slot in the summer of 2024, has emerged as a stunning candidate if Anfield chiefs finally lose patience with his successor.’

Is ‘incredibly popular and successful former manager who resigned relatively recently could return to former club on a specifically interim basis’ really that ‘stunning’ a development? Klopp’s been the next Liverpool manager favourite for ages on that pretence.

‘If they approach Klopp, now Global Head of Soccer for Red Bull, it is likely he would only be asked to fill in until the end of the season.’

It is pretty much certain. The bloke quit because he was knackered. Not sure barely 18 months out has recharged him to go again for another decade.

That really is a quite significant ‘if’ in terms of Klopp coming back, though. Literally the only other mention of him in the rest of the story beyond those three opening paragraphs is this:

‘The board has been forced to prepare for the worst – with Klopp, who ended their 30-year wait for a league title in 2020, part of the conversation.’

Quite what ‘part’ of that ‘conversation’ he plays is not made clear. But again, the odds of Lawrence getting that information and not a more respected Liverpool journalist feels infinitesimal.

From ‘Liverpool could turn to Jurgen Klopp to save season’ in the headline, to him merely being ‘part of the conversation’ about a possible change by the tenth paragraph. Definitely should have just stuck with the scepticism over a Liverpool exclusive being reported in The Sun and moved on.

READ MORE: Predicting next six Liverpool exits as Arne Slot, Mo Salah among doomed Reds sextet on exit ramp

Call and response

Those of us depressingly well-versed in the ways of the Daily Mirror website know exactly what to expect with this headline:

‘Jurgen Klopp’s emphatic response to dire Liverpool run speaks volumes with Arne Slot in crisis’

That is absolutely, irrefutably based around an old quote which is entirely irrelevant to the current situation but somehow still ‘speaks volumes’ in the modern day.

‘Slot’s dire situation mirrors Klopp’s predicament in the 2020/2021 season…’

There it is.

But sod it, go on. How does something Klopp said four years ago ‘speak volumes’ about Liverpool now?

‘Klopp’s emphatic response to the adversary [sic] he was under shows Slot that he can bring Liverpool back from the brink, and perhaps save his own job in the process.’

Oh, it’s somehow worse than an old quote. ‘Klopp’s emphatic response’ wasn’t even something he said, but simply Liverpool stopping being sh*t to eventually qualify for the Champions League. And that obviously ‘shows Slot that he can bring Liverpool back from the brink’.

Not sure what volume that speaks beyond the remarkably loud noise of a barrel being scraped to within an inch of its existence.

‘Ard knock life

Alternatively, for more Liverpool crisis chat we can go down the Daily Mirror website route of dressing up a statement of the obvious as some sort of revelation.

‘Fuming Gerrard insists four Liverpool stars should never be playing together’ is their headline, and to be clear there is no blame on the slippy one here. This slap on the wrist is purely for whoever heard or saw Gerrard say…

“You look at the back four that you finish with: Curtis Jones, Gravenberch, Van Dijk and Kerkez. That’s not a Liverpool back four, never will be.”

…and thought, ‘Yep, that’s good enough for a story’.

‘Fuming Gerrard’ merely ‘insisted four Liverpool stars should never be playing together’ in defence. That bit is quite important. And if anyone disagrees and genuinely believes Jones, Gravenberch, Van Dijk and Kerkez to be the next Tassotti, Baresi, Costacurta and Maldini then fair enough. There are probably some magic beans lying around somewhere if you fancy them?

Not sure Gerrard exactly had to ‘insist’ that chucking two midfielders in a back four alongside a struggling centre-half and left-back should ‘never’ be done again but sure.

The long Kon

But the best way to deal with the crisis engulfing Anfield probably comes from the Liverpool Echo.

When presented with a dilemma as to how they should cover Ibrahima Konate’s recent social media post and the Athletic update that Real Madrid are not pursuing him, they have come up with an ingenious solution: just publish the exact same quotes twice, disguised in different forms of headline cliche.

So at half 7 on Thursday evening we get: ‘Ibrahima Konate breaks silence on Liverpool criticism amid Arne Slot sack pressure’

Then at 11 on Friday morning it is: ‘Ibrahima Konate issues statement as Real Madrid decision on Liverpool transfer emerges’

That’s how you sell a footballer’s vague platitudes. Twice. In the span of about 15 hours. Guessing the first one didn’t land so well.

MORE ON THE LIVERPOOL CRISIS
👉 Predicting next six Liverpool exits as Arne Slot, Mo Salah among doomed Reds sextet on exit ramp
👉 ‘What the absolute f**k?’ – Carragher ‘Slot sack’ phone call meltdown captured on camera