Bild reports that Slot alienated several of the club's high-profile summer signings with comments that began as analytical observations but evolved into personal barbs targeting their Bundesliga backgrounds.
The outlet claimed the Dutchman asked newly arrived players "Did you win the Premier League?" and told those joining from German football "You can play like that in Germany" — remarks that created resentment among a squad already struggling to find consistency.
Liverpool spent approximately £450m in the summer of 2025, with Florian Wirtz arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116m deal, Hugo Ekitike joining from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m and Jeremie Frimpong also arriving from Leverkusen for £29.5m. Wirtz and Frimpong had been central figures in Leverkusen's historic Bundesliga title win in 2024 under Xabi Alonso.
Other members of Liverpool's squad with Bundesliga experience included Alexander Isak, Ibrahima Konaté, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.
The report noted that Slot's comments were described by those close to the situation as "objective criticism mixed with arrogance and personal barbs" — a tone that corroded relationships with players who had arrived in good faith.
Despite the claims, Slot had been publicly supportive of his players throughout the campaign. In the final weeks of the season he praised Wirtz's development in fulsome terms.
"The development Florian has made in his Liverpool career is so clear and obvious. His improvement — and he was already an elite player — will only continue."
Liverpool lost 20 matches across all competitions in Slot's second season and finished fifth in the Premier League — a devastating collapse from the title triumph of his debut year.