Former Liverpool captain Paul Ince criticized his old club's treatment of Slot, calling it "not the Liverpool way."
Slot led the team to a strong Premier League title in his first season in charge, but was removed as manager in May due to the team's mediocre title defense. Ince believes that after Eddie Howe's departure from Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola's arrival quickly led the Anfield hierarchy to decide to let Slot go. Ince said: "I really feel for Slot. I think the board handled it badly, I didn't like it, it's not the Liverpool way. Obviously, before the end of the season, a lot of people were calling for him to be sacked. But as soon as the season ends, as a manager, you'd think, 'Okay, I'm still here, let's start looking ahead to next season, preparing for the next year.' And then the next minute, he's gone."
Ince continued in an interview with BestBettingSites: "Richard Hughes and Iraola worked together at Bournemouth, so there was an instant connection between the two, and then they sacked Slot. I just feel that's not the right way to treat a manager." Ince admitted that Liverpool has many issues to resolve after Iraola took over, and he expects these issues to be addressed during the current transfer window.
Ince said: "When you manage Liverpool, fans always have expectations, just like when you're at Manchester United. I watched Liverpool last season, and I just felt something wasn't right. There were a lot of problems there. All that stuff between Salah and Slot wasn't good for the club. You rarely see this kind of public friction at Liverpool; usually, it only happens at other clubs. Also, you almost never hear Liverpool fans booing, never – that's not the Liverpool way. When fans start doing that, you think, 'Okay, something is wrong here, and it's deep.' Liverpool needs a major overhaul, a real big change. I'm keen to see what they'll do. I certainly don't think they'll win the title this year, I'm sure of that, but I want to see what signings Iraola will bring in to make the team better, because they need a much better season."
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