Arne Slot has been sacked as head coach of Liverpool.
The Dutchman departs only a year after leading the Reds to their 20th league title, following a disappointing fifth-placed finish in his second season in charge.
Recently-departed Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iroala is the frontrunner to succeed him, Your Site News understands.
A Liverpool statement announcing Slot's exit read: "That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying.
"The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and - most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves - successful.
"As such, our appreciation for everything he has achieved could not be greater, particularly as it was underpinned by a work ethic, a diligence and a level of expertise which further underlined our view that he is a leader in his field.
"At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.
"We would like to take this opportunity to place on record our appreciation for Arne, who will always hold a special place in the history of this football club as the coach who delivered Liverpool's 20th league title."
Liverpool had not intended to part ways with Slot during the season but came to the conclusion that a change of leadership was required after reassessing the situation at the end of the campaign.
Liverpool's fifth-placed finish was enough to secure Champions League qualification but with only 60 points, they finished the campaign with their lowest total since 2015/16.
Liverpool are now expected to commence formal talks with Iraola over the vacant head coach position.
The Spaniard has been in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen after appearing to cool talks with AC Milan earlier this week.
However, amid those talks, Sky in Italy reported that Iraola was still open to the Liverpool job despite no vacancy being open at Anfield at the time.
Now it is, however, and Iroala has a strong relationship with Liverpool director of football Richard Hughes after their time together at Bournemouth.
Hughes convinced Bournemouth to hire Iraola from Rayo Vallacano in 2023. He has since done a remarkable job, putting Bournemouth in the Europa League via a sixth-place finish.
Iraola has also had Crystal Palace as an option but they have always expected him to join a bigger club - even after they won the Conference League.
"That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and - most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves - successful.
"As such, our appreciation for everything he has achieved could not be greater, particularly as it was underpinned by a work ethic, a diligence and a level of expertise which further underlined our view that he is a leader in his field.
"From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it. This was evident when he agreed to take over as head coach, when he guided us to the Premier League title and throughout the season just ended when he faced considerable challenges and burdens.
"At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.
"We would like to take this opportunity to place on record our appreciation for Arne, who will always hold a special place in the history of this football club as the coach who delivered Liverpool's 20th league title.
"That accomplishment - made all the more remarkable as it arrived in his very first season in charge - was built on outstanding coaching and leadership every single day.
"He also helped guide the club through one of the most difficult periods imaginable following the loss of Diogo. The compassion and humanity he showed throughout that time said a great deal about him as a person.
"As such, we can only wish Arne well in the next stage of his coaching career, with our expectation being that he will continue to be successful. We do so in the knowledge that his Liverpool legacy is intact and will become yet more meaningful in the years and decades to come.
"Nevertheless, the conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team's trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him. Nor is it a reflection of his talents. Rather, it is indicative of the need for a different approach.
"Arne leaves with our gratitude, with a Premier League title to his name, and with the knowledge that he and his family will always be welcomed back at Anfield."
Your Site News' Vinny O'Connor on interest in Andoni Iraola:
"It seems to be a decision taken on footballing reasons in terms of the style of play.
"We heard from Mohamed Salah not so long ago in a social media post that he put out. Well, it seems that that is a feeling within Liverpool, that it's a style of play issue.
"The belief is that a different profile of head coach is needed to bring out what Liverpool fans would appreciate more as their style of play, the kind of football that we saw under Jurgen Klopp.
"There are all kinds of tie-ins with Richard Hughes being at Liverpool.
"We broke the news the other day that Iraola would like to hold out for the Liverpool job. He's been linked with numerous jobs already since that announcement that he was leaving Bournemouth.
"It's a name that Liverpool fans mention. I would argue it's a big jump going from manager of Bournemouth to Liverpool, certainly even bigger than going from Feyenoord to Liverpool, but at the same time, the style of play is something that Liverpool fans would definitely relate to.
"I think everyone's been impressed by what he's done at Bournemouth and the style of play that he's been able to implement there.
"In terms of that and emotionally as well, I think he would get Liverpool fans, Liverpool fans would get him.
"I think it's pretty easy to put him at the top of the list at the moment but I would imagine as well that Liverpool are going through a pretty thorough process at the same time."
