Erik ten Hag, the 55-year-old Dutch tactician whose Manchester United tenure ended in October 2024 sack after a dismal 14th-place start, has reportedly set his sights on the Liverpool managerial role, with insiders claiming he “seriously wants” the Anfield job as Arne Slot’s Reds spiral into crisis during the 2025-26 season. The revelation, leaked to The Athletic on November 10, 2025, has ignited a frenzy, positioning Ten Hag—fresh from a brief, disastrous Bayer Leverkusen stint ending in September 2025 sack after three games—as a shock candidate to replace Slot, whose Liverpool side has won just two of 12 Premier League matches, sitting 12th and 18 points off leaders Arsenal.

Ten Hag’s interest stems from his “unfinished business” in England, sources say, with the former Ajax boss believing his possession-based philosophy could revive Liverpool’s faltering title defense. “Erik sees Anfield as the ultimate redemption—beating United from the other side,” a close aide told Sky Sports. His 2022-24 United spell yielded Carabao and FA Cups but crumbled under injuries and boardroom chaos, leading to Ruben Amorim’s appointment. Post-Leverkusen humiliation—sacked after losses to Bochum and Dortmund—Ten Hag rejected MLS offers, eyeing Premier League returns. Liverpool’s FSG, frustrated with Slot’s “predictable” tactics amid Wirtz and Frimpong’s £200M signings underperforming, has reportedly sounded out Ten Hag via intermediaries.

The irony is delicious: Ten Hag, who lost 7-0 to Liverpool in 2023, could inherit Klopp’s empire. “He’d love rubbing it in United’s face,” a source quipped. Slot, appointed 2024 after Feyenoord success, won the 2024-25 title but 2025-26’s collapse—exits in Carabao Cup and Champions League group—has fans chanting “Slot out.” FSG’s data-driven approach favors Ten Hag’s analytics background.

Reaction is polarized: United fans rage “traitor,” Liverpool diehards split—”Anyone but him” vs “He’d fix us.” As mid-season sack rumors swirl, Ten Hag’s camp plays coy: “Erik’s ready for the right project.” With Wolves and Ajax circling, Anfield beckons. In football’s theater of the absurd, Ten Hag to Liverpool isn’t revenge—it’s resurrection.