Liverpool Banter 4

12 May 2026 18:49:49
I'm not sure what's going on. But the betting for Xabi to us has changed significantly from 4/11 to 13/8.

He's 4/11 to join Chelsea.

I know betting can change.

I totally trust the ITK's and they are continuing to reassure us reds that slot is gone.



It will be hard to take if Xabi joins those lot down the road instead of us.

I know you can't give minute by minute blows of what's happening, but has something significant happened since yesterday?

I'm just at concerned reds. YNWA.

12 May 2026 19:09:54
I just find it all a bit strange .... within hours of being informed talks are back on with Alonso .... it's gone full swing to Chelsea....

It does seem that they are being very careful with their words or briefings though ... previously they were quite open to saying we want Potter he is our guy .. we want Rosenior
He has been at our sister club for this reason ... blah blah blah

But the narrative is very he is on the shortlist...

we are interested.. he is the best candidate ... we could argue that is all very true ....

It just seems XA will have his pick pretty much ... I wonder Iraola and XA will be sitting in the dug outs next season .. but not sure who will be coaching who ....

I refuse to believe Slot is staying though .. to me he walks .. he doesn't get sacked .. club always backed him ... narrative comes out ....

12 May 2026 19:13:01
Why are you concerned? If he doesn't come, perhaps we have opted for other options such as Iraola or Hoeness.

12 May 2026 19:37:09
Bookies adjust their odds based on what bets have been placed. I think it's no more than that.

The bookies won't know, I don't think there will be a lot of movement until after the World Cup.

12 May 2026 19:49:22
Is 4 hours down the road, mate? Are you using one of those E-bikes they are outlawing? :)

12 May 2026 20:07:57
That's how they make money, tell you it's a favourite, put your bets on, and say oops soz.

12 May 2026 20:45:55
Just be concerned for the people who are wasting their money gambling.

12 May 2026 20:46:38
Alonso will speak to whoever comes knocking. He will leave his options open until the offer he wants comes in (or doesn't). Stories of Chelsea making contact are just as legit as ours. That doesn't mean they carry any real weight just yet. But you can be certain it will affect betting patterns and the bookies' odds.

12 May 2026 21:21:36
I still feel this is PR, basically say that Slot is going nowhere, but when a 'better manager' is close to going to a rival, i.e., Chelsea, they can say they acted decisively and got their man before he was off the table.

13 May 2026 01:17:03
Betting companies will use information that is released to their advantage as well as anyone.
If the press say he is not going to Liverpool, but now Chelsea are an option, they will be more inclined to lower his odds for Chelsea, which people will see and might put money on it.
It is the same as when a gamble happens on horses. Fav could be 1/4 to win. Word spreads and money starts to be placed on an outsider of 25/1 and the bookies slash the odds on the outsider and broadcast "Gamble On at Xyz course".

People see this and think someone must know something and have a good chance to make money.
The 1/4 Fav now drifts in the market to 1/2, and this is where the real money is won as actual heavy hitter punters will lump on this. Instead of gambling 4K to win 1K, they can now only risk half of that.
Bookies know how small gamblers operate, and this is how they make their money.

Unless the trainer is Charlie Fox of course. IYKYK.

{Ed025's Note - you certainly know your stuff CP..

13 May 2026 04:12:51
The money placed to get him came originally from Liverpool fans (mostly). Now that the press are saying it's not Liverpool, it's Chelsea, the Chelsea fans have been putting their cash on Alonso. The football market price is dictated by what people put their money on, which is more often than not, the team they support.

13 May 2026 09:50:36
"I just find it all a bit strange .... within hours of being informed talks are back on with Alonso .... it's gone full swing to Chelsea..."


So essentially, this is all PR, speculation and media posturing, meaning no one knows what the hell is happening concretely. Just my take.

13 May 2026 10:03:42
Ah, but it's ok if we do all again tomorrow, @Oli? The site has been doing its own impression of Groundhog Day since late last September. I'm not sure we can get through an hour without asking if Slot will be gone soon.

12 May 2026 18:16:32
There has to be some logic here with regards to the ongoing situation.

Alonso was Edward and Hughes' first choice pre Slot but was not available due to going to Madrid.

They then went for Slot, who by all accounts is not settled in England and wants to return home. Hence his training methods being adapted so he can have as much time at home as possible.

Alonso is now available and wants to join (by all accounts), and we have a manager who is unhappy, wants to go home, spent £450 mill and scrapped 5th, has an ego the size of earth and can’t see his own shortcomings (we were warned by a Dutch journalist before he signed, this would be the case), and has a record so bad he should and will be sacked.

Why people are buying into the narrative with these club journos who are paid to great headlines to bring traffic to their publications is beyond me. They are the definition of click bait. Ornstein has got so much wrong in the past that for some reason people actually think he’s reliable, he’s not and, again, is creating traffic as it’s his job, it creates revenue.



A headline of Slot is staying is going to bring that traffic as the anger amongst the LFC fans against Slot and the club is at fever pitch.

I believe what I’ve heard from the ITKs (main three with a track record) as they have no pressure to bring traffic to their employers so why would they misinform. They are not getting clicks, you can say they want attention but the most of them have posted for years with a proven track record, everyone gets things wrong as their is misinformation out there, but these ITK posters (the three main) are critiqued beyond belief yet you all pine for the Ornstein’s who get 80% of it wrong but don’t hold to the same standards.

Two games to go then the season is over. If Alonso comes great, if he doesn’t then it is what it is, but the infighting between the fans has become pathetic. What happened to YNWA…. Clearly we can’t follow our own motto the way things are currently. Embarrassing.

{Ed001's Note - Alonso being unavailable was nothing to do with Madrid. He wanted to stay and have a crack at the Champions League with Leverkusen. He felt that he owed them another year after they gave him the chance to be a manager.}

12 May 2026 19:14:27
Sorry Ed1 that's a fair point, he stayed to try his hand at the champs league and that was his right, but he was still first choice pre slot.

The other thing is, if slot is staying where is the contract extension, there has been ZERO info from the club journos on this and he is down to the final year of his contract, if he's staying why has there been no leaks about an extension? All smoke and mirrors.

12 May 2026 20:48:57
A headline "Slot will be sacked" will bring as much traffic as "Slot is staying".

A journo can't really run with a Slot sacked headline unless it's iron clad.

That would be hugely damaging to their rep.

12 May 2026 20:50:20
Did he not have one eye on the Real job though Ed? I know there had already been rumours of interest in Xabi from Madrid after his first season with Leverkusen. Do you think that was a factor at all?

{Ed001's Note - no, Madrid were still trying to convince Klopp at that point.}

13 May 2026 09:52:39
Spot on, Faith. Hence, to @Retire's point, this is all clickbait rubbish. At the end of the day, the news will drop and we will all know where we stand.

12 May 2026 18:17:55
Is Alonso a "back 3 coach" or simply a sensible man who arrived at Leverkusen and realised that aside from Wirtz, his two best attacking players were Grimaldo and Frimpong so developed a system to get the best out of his squad? Alien concept these days, I'm aware.

{Ed001's Note - he played a back four prior to Leverkusen and reverted to a back four, mainly, at Madrid.}

13 May 2026 09:55:21
Ed01, RM played a back 4 when they played us already this season in the CL.

Also, Xabi played a Back 3 and back 4 alternate (even during games) at Leverkusen the year they went invincible so this whole "Xabi is wedded to a back 3" (not aimed at you @Chicken) is a myth.

12 May 2026 17:41:28
Question for the EDS/ITKs

Surely we have to acknowledge the news over the past few days regarding Alonso and the Chelsea talks? I appreciate the club can feed whatever narrative they want through journalists, etc.

But can it really be as simple as "it's all nonsense, he's coming to Liverpool"? Or am I just being negative?

How can there be so many reports saying "Slot is staying" and that "the club trusts Slot", while people still believe Alonso is definitely happening?

Thanks!

12 May 2026 18:06:35
I don't know who to believe, but it's got so toxic that I think they have no choice to get rid of Slot. If we don't start winning well from the start, it will turn toxic (even more so) very quickly.



There's all the journalists saying he's staying, and the ITKs here saying he's leaving.

I don't think it's some master 4D chess move from Edwards to keep it under wraps, but I can't see how they can keep him.

12 May 2026 18:07:23
Tactical, these are just smoke and mirrors at this point. We are not even sure if the whole Chelsea/Alonso noise is a distraction by Chelsea to distract people from the guy they really want but no one is talking about.

And for the club to keep saying Slot is staying could also be a smokescreen, cos if they want him gone (or if he is already gone), they're not gonna say that now, will they?

In the end, you really can't know what will happen now with so much posturing in the media, so again, we're gonna have to be patient.

12 May 2026 18:07:32
It was a bigger shock that he survived November than if he survives this summer tbf.

How the hell did he stay on after being slapped off Forrest and PSV at home? 😂 madness.

12 May 2026 18:14:57
I don't know if Slot is staying or going, but if he is going then the official line from the club will be that they are backing Slot at least until Champions League football is guaranteed.

12 May 2026 18:23:14
I personally think he's gone. He's caused a divide with everyone, not just the fans. He will remain in place for the final two games, as we have pretty much locked in CL football. He will leave by mutual consent after the season ends.

Edwards and Hughes wanted to save face. They made a mistake; this way they all leave with their egos intact.

12 May 2026 20:02:30
Can't see him staying, they haven't extended his contract and can't see them spending money on players a manager wants on the last year of his contract, that makes no sense, they must have seen the problems it's caused Man Utd.

12 May 2026 20:59:31
Devils advocate - Liverpool announce Slot will be leaving at the end of the summer, before securing Champions League. The papers run wild with articles posing all sorts of questions, like whether Edwards and Hughes will survive the chopping block. The club looks unstable in the most critical stage of the season.

The players become distracted, and what little respect is left in the dressing room is completely lost. We lose the remaining games and don't qualify.

There is no alternative choice but to publicly back Slot.

13 May 2026 00:38:22
How was Slot a mistake? He won us the league ffs.

13 May 2026 09:58:30
ArnieJ, why would they say that? That would be like putting chum/bait in the water for the Piranha (the media and content creators alike) to feed on, causing unnecessary noise which could scupper CL footie challenge to begin with. I don't see why, personally.

13 May 2026 10:12:53
FSG aren't stupid, they do listen. As was seen last week, when they changed their plans for ticket prices for the next two seasons, they listened to the fans. They will have been listening to the fans' displeasure with the Chelsea match - it's not often that the fans show such open dissent.

Of course there will be a season-end review, and although I am an original IKFA I'd be staggered if they don't produce a statement of Slot leaving the club by mutual consent.



It'll be interesting to see who comes in as manager / head coach and who will come in (and leave) on the playing side. But, as they say, that's a story for another day.

12 May 2026 17:36:37
Why is there no comment from ownership regarding all the speculation over manager’s future?
They haven’t come out to give him the dreaded “vote of confidence”, they haven’t said they’re in negotiations over new contract & they haven’t sacked him!!

Fan sites, social media etc is full of speculation, fans are torn, ex players & pundits are all talking about it….

Wouldn’t it help calm things down if FSG told us what the plan actually is?

12 May 2026 18:08:14
@Rob, if they have not told us anything in these types of situations before then, why would they do that now?

12 May 2026 17:27:17
Wouldn't say no to Endrick on loan for a season.

{Ed001's Note - why?}

12 May 2026 18:07:26
For what reason?

12 May 2026 19:17:04
He's been playing well at Lyon at RW and striker tbf. Wouldn't hate it if it had an option to buy to see if he develops more, as gives us depth at two positions we need.

13 May 2026 10:15:03
Nah @OP, to quote Nancy Reagan, 'just say no'.

12 May 2026 17:26:35
I think we all know which posters info is worth following more so than others.

Prediction wise though... il say

• Chelsea appoint Alonso properly.
• Liverpool stick with Slot.
• Liverpool continue to be awful.
• Liverpool sack Slot by October.
• No good managers out there.
• Another wasted season.

This is how it'll go.

12 May 2026 17:53:46
Say no to drugs. Lol.

12 May 2026 17:54:05
I think they will keep Slot and have another massive summer to appease the fans.

I assume some of Slot's backroom staff will be replaced.

I assume he will change his style of play to slightly more direct, higher intensity. Simply because, if he doesn't, he knows he'll never turn the fans.

I suspect none of this will work and Slot will be sacked by mid-season. Caretaker to next summer, when hopefully a big appointment is made.



Mid-season is a terrible time to change manager, of course, but a decent enough time to change a Dof and whatever Edwards' role is.

Changes are afoot one way or another. Whether Slot goes Summer or later on, he needs a miracle now. He is done after this season and he can take his borefest football with him when he goes. Whenever that is.

12 May 2026 17:58:04
Chelsea will have sacked Alonso by October, so it'll be grand.

12 May 2026 17:59:35
I have a bad feeling that Slot will be kept on.

Regardless of who the manager is, having them trying to manage a super club with less than 12 months on their contract is putting them on a hiding to nothing.

12 May 2026 18:11:40
Davey, if he was going to change his style to appease fans, why hasn't he started already?

I don't think he's going to change.

It would help with some dynamic wingers, but I don't get the impression he knows what's wrong.

He isn't trying things. We know Mac has been poor, but he continues to start him.

He's playing dom RB instead of giving a younger player a chance.

They might not be good enough, but he's harming the rest of the setup.

If he was trying things, and you could see, well he knows what's wrong, he just doesn't have the players. That's one thing.

But, it just seems like he doesn't know what's going wrong, and keeps trying the same thing till it works.

12 May 2026 18:31:54
Has anybody seen or heard anything from Slot where he has acknowledged he's doing anything wrong? I can't remember it.

His main defence is number of injuries, number of chances missed, and times opponents score with minimal chances.



That doesn't sound to me like somebody who is willing to change.

Slot was shown the way with the Villa and Madrid performances. He chose to ignore them.

He can't change and he wouldn't if he could.

12 May 2026 17:10:31
Going on current form alone, I just don’t see us winning the last 2 games. Similarly, I can see both Brighton and Bournemouth winning, leaving us in goal difference jeopardy.

12 May 2026 17:57:37
If it means we get rid of a manager who's happy to have the least fit team in the league and runs back to Holland every chance he gets, because he has no philosophy to train the players, so why would you do extra training sessions then? So be it, we just need him gone. I hate the lazy....

12 May 2026 18:10:10
@Bauldy, for weeks/months now, I am genuinely surprised when we win games. Cos I know we will be crap all game long, hence, kinda hard to tell what the final outcome will be.

12 May 2026 17:03:16
And to think we laughed at the Mancs over the last years for the shambles that their club became. Sad times only trumped by when we nearly went into admin.

12 May 2026 17:31:16
Ah, Barry, we are defending Champions and have Champions League football next year. It's bad, but it's not that bad.

12 May 2026 17:45:17
I'm talking about the mess that is the three stoogies.

12 May 2026 17:52:50
Has CL next season been confirmed?

12 May 2026 17:59:36
We're nowhere near as bad as the Mancs lad.

If Slot goes, I'd back us to finish ahead of them next season.

12 May 2026 18:00:04
Flo, We've not got CL yet mate and it'll be squeaky bum time against Brentford as I can't see us getting anything against Villa on Friday.

12 May 2026 18:16:24
Flo, no CL footie is guaranteed mathematically, which is not the case right now, so relax and chill with the bullish talk cos that has led us nowhere this season.

As for the Mancs, they are still bang average and very easy to play against and school by teams who actually know what they are doing, have a system of playing, and everyone knows their jobs in and out of position, all the things we are not under Slot.



All you have to do is watch them at home vs Brentford and Leeds and you will see why. Absolute shambles. Cos we are a trainwreck and a half does not mean they are this very good team. The fact that they dominated us just shows depth of irrelevance we are as a club this season.

12 May 2026 18:19:57
Yeah it's not certain that we get it tbh. Which is insane considering how bad Chelsea and the like have been.

12 May 2026 19:23:42
Ok lads, yous all decide to sit on the ground rockin back and forth facing the corner of a room like lunatics if you so wish. I choose to be totally relaxed about Champions League football next year.

12 May 2026 20:06:43
Being optimistic doesn't make it true though, does it.

Calling everyone else lunatics when you're factually incorrect at this moment in time is hardly a great argument.

Maybe, you can come on in a week or twos time and say I told you so.

But, I'm sure there's plenty of previous optimism on here that crashed and burned where the same could be said back.

12 May 2026 20:43:55
No JK, I suppose it doesn't, but if we were 4 points behind with two games to play, and one of them games was against a City side who can still win the title, nobody on here would give us a chance in hell. No point in being overly negative for the sake of it either.

12 May 2026 21:32:35
Not sure asking if we have qualified for the CL qualifies for being overly negative, mate.

13 May 2026 10:44:05
Overly worrysome then. 😁