Chris Sutton predicts Mohamed Salah’s tenure at Liverpool is nearing its end, believes Arne Slot can lead squad to league victory post-Jurgen Klopp’s reign

Chris Sutton has claimed that it feels like Mohamed Salah’s time at Liverpool is ‘coming to a natural end’, as he insists the next manager to succeed Jurgen Klopp will have a squad that is capable of winning the Premier League. 

Liverpool suffered a major setback in the title race on Wednesday evening after they were beaten 2-0 by their city rivals Everton at Goodison Park. Klopp’s players cut dejected figures at full-time, with the German manager seemingly conceding the title race in a press conference after the match. 

While Arsenal sit three points clear of the Reds at the top of the table, Man City have a game in hand and can leapfrog Liverpool to go within one point off Arsenal with a win against Brighton on Thursday. 

Meanwhile, speculation is mounting that Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has emerged as the leading candidate to take over from outgoing manager Klopp this summer and could be set to inherit a squad that is laden with exceptional talents and a crop of emerging young stars.

But, on Thursday’s episode of ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’, Ian Ladyman posed the question of whether Klopp’s squad are capable of winning the Premier League next season, with Sutton giving his verdict on Liverpool’s squad. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side dropped points in the title race after they were beaten by Everton 2-0

Meanwhile, Arne Slot has emerged as the next favourite to succeed the German at Anfield

‘Liverpool are in talks with the Feyenoord coach Arne Slot to replace Klopp. Compensation figures are already being discussed. Talks ongoing today,’ Ladyman said to Sutton.

‘It’s moving some way down the line. He is now the clear favourite. Presumably, it is him or whoever it is, does the new Liverpool manager have a squad as it stands to win the Premier League next year?’

‘I think, this is only my opinion. I don’t know your opinion. I think, it feels like a natural end for Mo Salah,’ Sutton replied.  

It comes after the Reds have struggled to find the back of the net in recent weeks, amid a string of tough results. Salah, whose contract is set to expire in 2025, has scored twice in his last seven Premier League appearances for the club, and looked frustrated after the match.

The Egyptian has joined the club from Roma in 2017 and has gone on to score an impressive 210 goals in 345 appearances across all competitions. But in the past year, plenty of speculation has revolved around the 31-year-old’s future, with several Saudi Arabian sides having tabled eye-watering offers of over £200million for the forward last summer. 

‘I think if you look at the squad, yes, it does,’ Sutton continued, appearing to believe that Liverpool can win the league next season with their current squad.

‘I think you look at the midfield, an area, well, Dominic Szoboszlai, Alexis MacAllister, you know, have improved this season. I think they’re only going to get better. I don’t know the situation with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] on his contract running out.’

Ladyman added: ‘Yeah, just to interrupt, so Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Trent, Alexander-Arnold are all coming into the last year of their contracts from this summer onwards.’

‘I think they’ve got a pretty decent core,’ Sutton continued. ‘I’m a big fan of [Luis] Diaz as well. [Diogo] Jota has had injuries. Can Darwin improve his finishing?

Ian Ladyman and Chris Sutton both believed Liverpool’s next manager would have an easier transition, if Klopp does not win the Premier League this season

Salah, meanwhile, struggled to find the back of the net for the Reds against Everton 

 It compounded their recent scoring woes, with Darwin Nunez (right) also struggling for goals

But Sutton lauded the abilities of midfield duo Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai

‘But I think they’ve got a squad which should be up there. And of course, recruitment is always a big deal. And Arne Slot will want to come in and make his mark with regards to that

‘He’ll have his ideas, certain ideas on players. I think the most important thing from his perspective is that he comes in and doesn’t try and copy Klopp and his style of management.’

Mail Sport understands that Liverpool will be forced to pay a fee of around £8.59m to release Slot from his current deal at Feyenoord. 

The Dutch manager, 45, is highly revered around the world of football, with Slot guiding Feyenoord this weekend to victory in the Dutch Cup.  

‘He’s his own person, but from what I’ve read and what I’ve seen, he’s achieved pretty decent things at Feyenoord winning the Eredivisie last season,’ Sutton continued. 

‘They’re behind this season to a good PSV team, but he seems to have really improved them. And whoever was going to take over from Jurgen Klopp, in many respects, it’s an impossible job.

‘Slot was heavily linked with Tottenham, wasn’t he, last season? I think he turned them down in the end. So clearly he’s a manager who is well respected. 

Sutton said he was a ‘big fan of Luis Diaz’ (right) who has scored eight league goals this season

Trent Alexander-Arnold (left) and Virgil van Dijk’s (right) contracts will both expire in 2025

Ladyman and Sutton believed that Slot will need to establish his own style on Liverpool

‘But it is a pretty impossible job. In many ways, the job will be easier. If it looks that way, Liverpool will just finish the season with the Carabao Cup. So that’ll make the job easier. If they win the Premier League, then I mean that would be a nightmare job, wouldn’t it?’

Despite concerns being rasied over how Klopp’s successor can fill the German manager’s large shoes, Liverpool fans have been reacting to a video of a team-talk delivered by Arne Slot online, showing the Dutchman giving a hair-raising speech to his players. Reds supporters are reportedly ‘all in’ for Slot to take over from Klopp.   

But Ladyman echoed Sutton’s sentiment, stating that Slot might find it easier to settle in if Klopp doesn’t win the title this season. 

‘Yeah, no, that’s a really good point,’ Ladyman added. ‘As was something you just mentioned briefly 30 seconds ago, which is that he’ll have to come in and impose a different style of football on that squad. Because I’ve said before, the way that Klopp has played, I firmly believe [is a style] that you can’t mimic and there’s no point trying.

‘I actually think that is genuinely unique, what the way that Klopp plays in European football. So, Slot will have to come in, if it hits him, and do it his own way. That would be a huge challenge.