The change has come quickly for Liverpool. In April 2025, Arne Slot's men defeated Tottenham 5-1 at Anfield to claim the 20th league title in England with four games to spare. Just 13 months later, Slot had been sacked, Liverpool finished in fifth place and the champions were in for another big shake-up.
The numbers give an idea of the depth of the fall. With 17 wins, nine draws and 12 defeats, Liverpool finished the season with 60 points, 25 points behind champions Arsenal. For fans following the Premier League and its betting markets, those looking to check new Bet365 promo code offers would have seen just how sharply expectations around the club shifted over the course of the campaign. They conceded 53 league goals and only ended up in the Champions League due to their fifth-place finish. The reward for the record £446m investment was stark.
The Liverpool team's triumph last season had appeared to be proof of a seamless move away from Jürgen Klopp and towards Slot in 2024-25. Mohamed Salah had already begun his title charge with 29 Premier League goals and 18 assists and the tried and tested core had years of collective understanding.
Then came upheaval. The key losses were Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez as Liverpool were firm believers in a new generation of players around the summer of 2025. Alexander Isak came in for a British record £125 million, Florian Wirtz was brought in for £116 million, while Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez were also signed.
On paper, it was reinforcement. Liverpool did try to defend a title, and they were also bringing in a vastly different attack and new full-backs.
Wirtz had to wait after Christmas to score his first goal of the season, and Isak didn't score as expected following problems with his fitness. Liverpool's trademark drama was also short-lived. The game that has been a strength of Slot's first season, a pressing style, was clearly absent from the champions' game as they struggled on both sides.
It was a collapse that came too soon to save the title defense. Liverpool started the league season with a five-match winning streak, but then experienced a run of bad luck. They suffered nine defeats in 12 games from the end of September to the end of November, a run that dispensed with any momentum and highlighted some structural issues.
Those issues never went away. Opponents could be seen multiple times getting in on the edge of the box and Liverpool's defence broke down completely, the attack was not as ruthless as it had been in the championship-winning season, and they were also a long way short of form. There was no domestic trophy to be won in the campaign and Paris Saint-Germain knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League quarter-finals 4-0 over two legs.
The season also played out amid an unprecedented emotional burden following the death of Diogo Jota in July 2025. When Liverpool later announced Slot's sacking, the club specifically 'commended the compassion and leadership' that he displayed during that time.
On May 30, Liverpool confirmed that Slot had been sacked with immediate effect after two seasons in charge, with the club citing the need for a "different approach." Five days later, Andoni Iraola was appointed head coach after taking Bournemouth to their first-ever European qualification with a sixth-place finish.
This was just one of the resets in management. Three of Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté have all departed due to the end of their contracts and this has stripped the squad of three players who are very experienced and influential. Salah moved to Trabzonspor, Robertson went to Tottenham, and Konaté signed for Real Madrid.
Liverpool have reacted by bringing down the age profile in a number of areas but they have brought in some experience at defence. Centre-back Jérémy Jacquet joined from Rennes and Spain winger Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna while recently, Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo agreed a season-long loan.
This is not a 'tearing down', but a rebuild. There remains a strong high-level backbone in the form of Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wirtz and Isak. The question is whether Iraola can bring them together by the aggressive, high-energy football that was his hallmark in his days at Bournemouth.
Early indications are that the work is still substantial. Liverpool were once again worn down in Anfield in pre-season, allowing Monaco to claw back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Reds 3-2.
One year ago, Liverpool were considered England's best team. However, the title hastened change that was on the horizon: icon replacement, costly additions, and a new sense of identity for the team. The reconstruction was not preceded by years of decrease. It came out of nowhere, where one season undid all the hard work.