As discussion around Arne Slot's future at Liverpool continued after the 3–2 defeat to Manchester United, attention quickly moved to an Instagram post linking him with Dutch giants Ajax, after his son Joep was seen liking the post before later removing it as the clip circulated among supporters.
The post, the like, and how it spread
The report linking Slot with Ajax was shared on Instagram by a Liverpool fan account, and users noticed that his son Joep had liked the post, which led to the interaction being shared alongside the original rumour. The like was later removed, but by that point it had already been captured and circulated, adding further fuel to speculation around Slot's position and Ajax's reported interest.
The reporting originates from Mike Verweij, a prominent Dutch sports journalist and Ajax specialist for De Telegraaf, who said on the Kick-Off podcast that Ajax had made initial enquiries about Slot. Jordi Cruyff, Ajax's technical director, is understood to be part of the internal process driving the club's search for a new manager. “I keep hearing that they also inquired about Arne Slot,” Verweij said.
Ajax enquiry and what has been reported
Ajax's interest comes at a time when the club are preparing for another managerial change, with Oscar Garcia set to leave at the end of the season despite being appointed in March 2026, following short spells from John Heitinga, who was in charge from July 2025 to November 2025, and Fred Grim, who took over from November 2025 to March 2026, with both tenures ending after poor results. With two Eredivisie matches remaining, Ajax sit fourth and are six points behind second place, leaving their Champions League chances dependent on other results.
Slot, who is under contract with Liverpool until 2027, previously worked in the Netherlands with Feyenoord between 2021 and 2024, where he led the club to the Eredivisie title in 2022–23 and the KNVB Cup in 2023–24 after taking over a side that had been struggling, results that established his reputation domestically and explain why Ajax have considered him despite his previous ties to one of their main rivals. However, Verweij added that the enquiry has not developed into a move at this stage.
“But yeah, Slot is still very firmly in the saddle. He is just going to continue at Liverpool,” he said. “And I also understood that Arne Slot wasn't very keen to go to Ajax at this point in his career.”
Liverpool's season and the pressure around Slot
The timing of that report comes alongside a run of results that has changed how Slot's position is being discussed, particularly after Liverpool's defeat at Old Trafford, which took their total number of losses to 19 in all competitions this season, the joint highest in a single campaign this century for the club.
Liverpool won the Premier League title in the 2024–25 season during Slot's first year in charge, but the current campaign has developed differently, with elimination from the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup already confirmed. With three matches remaining, the club sit fourth in the table, 18 points behind Arsenal, while holding a six-point gap over the first non-Champions League place, leaving qualification likely based on their current position.
That run has brought criticism of Slot's approach and led to speculation about possible changes, with Xabi Alonso and Luis Enrique mentioned in reports as potential replacements, although sources close to the club have indicated that there are no immediate plans to dismiss him and that he is expected to remain in charge at least into the early part of the 2026–27 season.
