Neville predicts Slot will keep Liverpool job after Chelsea confirm Xabi Alonso appointment

Gary Neville says he expects Arne Slot to keep his job at Liverpool after Chelsea officially appointed Xabi Alonso as their new manager this morning.

Alonso has signed a four-year contract with the Blues and will begin work on July 1. The Spaniard was sacked as head coach of Real Madrid in January and had been linked with a move to Liverpool, where he spent five years as a player, as the reigning champions' title defence has crumbled and Slot's position came under threat.

But with Alonso heading to Stamford Bridge instead, Neville believes Liverpool will now stick with Slot.

What did Neville say about Slot staying?

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: "It looks like Liverpool, with Chelsea signing Xabi Alonso this morning, it did tell me that Liverpool are going to keep their manager for next season, which I'm happy about."

He added: "I genuinely think a manager that has won the league 12 months ago deserves an opportunity to get it right having had a more challenging season this time around. They're still in the Champions League."

What about Mohamed Salah's comments?

Neville was less impressed with Mohamed Salah's parting shot at the club. "He's pulled the pin out of the grenade there and just thrown it in the middle of the room," Neville said. "He's on his way out of the room by the way!"

He added: "It's not great and if he was a Manchester United player then I'd be fuming. Arne Slot will not welcome that whatsoever."

Why does the 'manager' title matter?

Neville highlighted that Chelsea appointed Alonso as "manager" rather than "head coach", a distinction he called "telling."

"They need someone to manage the club," he said. "I think he's probably said, 'If I'm coming then I'm taking over, I'm not going to let other people determine my outcome in terms of recruitment, managing the medical side, managing all the other things.'"

He described it as Chelsea "handing him the keys to the safe," adding: "They haven't got things right, have they? It's obvious. You don't even need to debate that really."

Neville acknowledged that Chelsea's owners had invested heavily but said: "They've made a mess of it obviously. No owner wants to pour money into a football club to fail, but they haven't done it correctly."

What is the background?

Alonso's appointment comes a month after the departure of Liam Rosenior, whose reign at Chelsea lasted just 107 days. The 44-year-old will be tasked with turning around a club that sits ninth in the Premier League.

Neville welcomed the appointment for the league as a whole. "It's a great story for the start of next season for the Premier League," he said. "We need great managers."