The Athletic's James Pearce, the most authoritative voice on Liverpool's internal affairs, posted on Thursday to explicitly dismiss the suggestion that the club's position had shifted.
"Liverpool's position on Arne Slot remains unchanged — despite a day of social media rumours."
That confirmation came after a day of speculation that had gained traction on social media, much of it centred on reports suggesting Liverpool were considering Andoni Iraola as a replacement.
The Bournemouth manager departs Dean Court at the end of the season following a remarkable campaign that delivered the club's first European qualification in their history, and his attacking, pressing-oriented football has been widely admired.
The context for the speculation was clear. Slot's second season at Liverpool has been a jarring contrast to his debut campaign in which the club won the Premier League title with considerable comfort.
The defending champions are fighting to secure Champions League football on the final day of the season, having lost 12 league matches and conceded more goals than any Liverpool side in a 38-game season. They were also eliminated from the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Champions League, all without reaching a final.
The 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa that preceded Thursday's speculation was particularly damaging, prompting Mohamed Salah's widely discussed social media post calling for the club to return to the "heavy metal" attacking football of Jürgen Klopp's era — and Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher to publicly question Slot's future.
Liverpool's board have not wavered, however. Sporting director Richard Hughes and football chief executive Michael Edwards are understood to believe the squad underperformed significantly relative to its quality and that the right response is to support Slot into his third season with improved recruitment, not to repeat the costly experience of a managerial change. A new contract for Slot is also understood to be under discussion, though nothing has been formally announced.
The final match of the season is at home to Brentford, which Liverpool must win and hope other results go their way to secure a top-five finish and Champions League football.