Arne Slot deserves more time but two players may have changed Liverpool dressing room

Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has given his verdict on Arne Slot's future and the difference potentially made by summer signings of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak

Stan Collymore believes Arne Slot's position as Liverpool boss will only come under serious threat if his team fail to secure Champions League qualification this season. And the former Reds striker has suggested big-money summer signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak were hampered by the online adoration they received before they had even kicked a ball for their new team.

Slot has come under pressure given Liverpool's disappointing Premier League title defence having had to grapple with a much-changed squad and the impact of the death of Diogo Jota.

While the Reds are into the last 16 of the Champions League, they stand in sixth place in the domestic table and face an almighty scrap to secure a return to Europe's premier club competition.

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And speaking to the ECHO on behalf of BetWright, Collymore said: "Getting into the top four is non-negotiable.

"I know Arne Slot has said players have been replaced rather than additions to the squad, but I know all too well when you break the British transfer record you are expected to be there or thereabouts and they haven't been in terms of the league form.

"In Europe, Paris Saint-Germain haven't been as good this season, the Champions League is fairly open and they are still in the FA Cup. Liverpool could still end up with a couple of pieces of silverware and they are certainly still a team that on any given day you wouldn't want to face.

"The most important thing is getting some consistency back in the league form. Slot can do that in what remains of this season. Everyone then pauses and goes off to the World Cup and he has a blueprint for next season.

"If they remain this inconsistent going into the opening of next season he will be looking over his shoulder then, especially given the likes of Ekitike, Wirtz and Isak would have then had a year to bed in.

"If they don't get Champions League football, Slot will possibly be under threat. But when you've won the league in your first season and you didn't change the recipe much and didn't have much opportunity to bring in personnel, the Liverpool board will look at that in the round.

"Liverpool have been unlucky with injuries and had issues with intensity at times, you can see how the players he brought in have struggled with it."

Collymore believes the dressing room dynamic at Liverpool may have changed with the arrival of Wirtz and Isak in particular due to the initial perception from some supporters the duo represented a significant upgrade on the Premier League title-winning attack.

"I found this an issue when I went to Liverpool that they don't often buy record signings - they make players into that kind of calibre of player," said the former England international, who was a club record £8.5million signing back in 1995.

"When I saw the social media stuff around the Isak signing and Wirtz, dozens of tweets were talking about them being the second coming.

"I said to myself 'I wonder what Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk feel about this?'. Salah is top man and Virgil is not far off, and then you hear rumours they might have felt a bit disrespected, Mo had a little bite about the two players who left (Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez) that they were perfectly capable and don't disrespect them. It came across to me that at Liverpool you have to earn that kind of praise and accolade.

"But when Isak and Wirtz came in, they got that online before they'd even played. Football doesn't work like that. You have to be really careful inside the dressing room ecosystem not to upset the balance."

Collymore added: "Probably Mo and one or two others felt a little bit threatened and they probably didn't like it that much. That makes it very difficult for players to settle in.

"In the case of Isak and Wirtz in particular they look laidback and not particularly massive characters who are going to bowl in there and go 'I'm top man now'.

"So I wouldn't be surprised if there have been issues about the balance and blend of characters. Whether or not that can be settled at the end of the season if Mo or Virgil goes, I don't know. But I do think if Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak are going to work, they have to feel as though they are going to become the top men."

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