Arne Slot has refused to be drawn on whether negotiations are still ongoing to extend his Liverpool contract and insisted his focus is on returning his team to winning ways.
Slot signed an initial three-year deal when he joined the club in 2024, with the expectation being that the Dutchman would pen fresh terms after leading Liverpool to the Premier League title last season. However, the Reds title defence has imploded spectacularly in recent weeks, with Slot's side having lost six of their last seven games in all competitions.
Asked for an update on his own contract situation in a news conference on Friday, Slot said: "This is the last question that I was expecting. My focus is completely on getting Liverpool back to winning ways.
"That is my first answer and my second answer, contract talks, if they are even there, we never speak about this here. Let us first start to win again, that is my main focus."
Liverpool have lost each of their last four Premier League games and were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Slot caused controversy after Wednesday's cup exit by claiming he does not have a deep squad, despite the club having spent more than £400 million ($525m) in the summer transfer market.
"We miss nothing," Slot said when quizzed on the weaknesses within his team.
"I am happy that you asked this question because I am completely happy with the team and with all the quality that we have and I am also completely convinced by the strategy and the policy that we have but that makes the issue -- if you call it an issue -- is not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured ... but no excuses for our results before people say this.
"We have had to play a lot of away games with only two days rest in-between and that would have been difficult for our players last season and players that have been fit all pre-season but that has not been our situation. It is nothing to do with the squad depth, it is how we've gone throughout the season in terms of injuries and availability."
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Among Liverpool's mounting list of absentees is striker Alexander Isak, who looks set to miss this weekend's clash with Aston Villa with a groin problem. Midfielder Curtis Jones is also likely to be sidelined, but the Reds could be boosted by the return of Ryan Gravenberch, who sustained an ankle injury in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United earlier this month.
"Ryan trained with us yesterday," Slot said. "The other two [Isak and Jones] didn't yet.
"In the end phase of the injury, things can slow down a bit or things can go faster but Ryan trained with us yesterday and he will train with us today and then we will make the call whether he is able to start. The other two are 99.9% sure not in the squad on Saturday."