16 Feb 2026 08:39:17
I have a work colleague in Amsterdam who is an Ajax season ticket holder.
He said that the rumours coming from Ajax is that they want Arne Slot as their next permanent manager as rumours are that Arne Slot wants to return to the Netherlands and be with his family.
Not sure how accuarate or true this is but just passing on info.
16 Feb 2026 09:21:00
Does Arne want to leave mutually, or does he want a payoff? I am guessing he wants his last year paid off, otherwise he would be gone already.
16 Feb 2026 09:44:52
A mutual separation sounds a lot more plausible. It doesn't make logical sense, given what a lot of the ITK's have said. You wouldn't tell someone they're getting sacked 6 months in advance. That's not conducive to a positive working environment, nor is it a particularly good way to motivate someone to achieve success in those final months.
It would make a lot more sense if the senior management and Slot had sat down and had a grown-up talk about the future, and come to an agreement that it's in both parties' best interests to go in a different direction this summer.
16 Feb 2026 09:47:21
I think that if he were to leave by mutual consent (which the ITKs have confirmed), then it is possible they will pay out some of the last year of his contract. Slot earns 6.6m a year, so it would not be a huge payout (3m to 4m) from a financial point of view.
16 Feb 2026 09:49:21
It does seem more likely that Slot will be back in the Netherlands next season. He doesn't seem to see LFC as a way of life; he just sees it as a prestigious job. Anyway, we need someone who will bring both excitement and success.
16 Feb 2026 09:51:22
I like this rumour. It points more to Arne Slot going at the end of the season, which I'm all for. Mutual consent seems like the most probable outcome. Will our next manager be a success? I don't know. But, at the minute, he just seems a blue peg for a red hole.
16 Feb 2026 10:45:24
Is this true? Is it possible that Slot might leave? How come this hasn't been mentioned before?
16 Feb 2026 11:13:06
Yeah, I've been told the same. I posted it in the discussions tab. Ajax really want Slot. It will suit them both.
16 Feb 2026 11:27:52
Excitement and success, simples!
16 Feb 2026 12:00:57
I'd be amazed if Slot went back to the Netherlands. He could easily get another big job in Europe after Liverpool. How old are his kids now? They don't look like they'll be in school that much longer.
16 Feb 2026 12:22:48
I think they are in college, so I suppose they are nearly adults. I think that's the main reason they stayed in Holland, to prevent disruption to their schooling. I too can't see him returning to the Eredivisie, livered. Why would he willingly go back to manage in a league that's not considered to be in Europe's top 5?
16 Feb 2026 12:42:23
Maybe Ajax will offer him a lot of money? That could be a factor.
16 Feb 2026 12:45:36
This is a wild hunch, but I can imagine Arne Slot taking over at Newcastle. Upgrade for Newcastle, closer to home for Arne Slot. Just a wild guess.
16 Feb 2026 12:51:45
Wouldn't offer him as much as he'd get in England, Spain, Italy, or Germany. Even Saudi, which in fairness is now a stronger league than Holland, would dwarf what Ajax could offer. From a sporting objective, too, he'd want to challenge himself where the best players and managers are.
16 Feb 2026 13:35:23
Maybe it's not about money. Maybe the family ties and being homesick outweigh getting a pot of gold, and, let's face it, he's not going to be worried about cash for the rest of his life, is he?
16 Feb 2026 14:42:49
Madmax, I just got my ruler on the map, and Newcastle is 64mm away from Rotterdam, whilst Manchester is only 56mm away from Rotterdam. Therefore, it doesn't seem viable, as it's a slightly longer flight. Norwich, on the other hand, is only 26mm away from Rotterdam, and they're 19th in the Championship, so could probably do with a new manager.
16 Feb 2026 16:05:26
You're right, MK. I need to go back to geography classes. Haha.
16 Feb 2026 16:29:44
Mutual agreement to terminate does not equal free. This is corporate newspeak for "sacked" in 99% of cases. If both parties agree to a figure to prematurely terminate a contract, that would count as a mutual termination.
Non-mutual is when the parties cannot agree on a figure. One party (usually the club in this case) can pay the value of the contract, or any stipulated termination fees, as a straightforward termination.
16 Feb 2026 17:45:52
I get the impression that Slot isn't enjoying the pressure enough to want to stay at Liverpool. He is a family-first man with relatively young children, so maybe the Liverpool job came too soon for him. I think, overall, he has done a very decent job. He avoided the cliff edge when Klopp left. He kept people together when Jota passed.
He tolerated the DOF's failure to get cover at the back, and spending money on players we didn't need. He is getting the best out of the new signings and managing the transition reasonably well. We will finish in the top five and go deep in the FA Cup and/or Champions League. He won the league and got us to the final last season.