Who will be the new Liverpool manager?

The reign of Rafael Benitez as Liverpool manager ended on Thursday. Now the long and arduous task of appointing his successor will fall to Kenny Dalglish and managing director Christian Purslow. It won't be an easy job for whoever comes in, with uncertainty over the ownership and finances of the club. I have taken the odds given by top bookmakers Ladbrokes to go through the leading candidate for the top job, and which directions Dalglish and Purslow should look to.

7/4 - Martin O'Neil, Aston Villa.

A name which continuously gets linked to the top jobs whenever they become available. Often touted as Sir Alex Ferguson's eventual successor at Old Trafford, eventually, O'Neil is going to realise Aston Villa can not meet his ambitions. However, I'm not sure he is the right man for Liverpool. He will get a nasty shock when he compares American owners - he will not be backed financially like he has by Randy Lerner, but there will be a great deal of interference. This may not sit well with O'Neil's confrontational nature. He is undoubtedly a great man manager, with limitless passion and energy for the game. The family feel surrounding Celtic would mean he would be well versed in the ethos of the club, but I don't think Liverpool is the right job for him, and his style of football (which often resorts to route one) won't be especially popular at Anfield.

VERDICT - RIGHT TIME, WRONG JOB

11/4 - Roy Hodgson, Fulham.

The only problem I could envisage with Hodgson is the compensation which would have to be paid to Fulham. After all, the West London club would be loathed to lose him after the job he's done at Craven Cottage. After saving them from relegation in his first season having been brought in midway through the season, Fulham then qualified for the Europa League, where they amazingly, astonishingly, reached the final - beating Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg, before losing after extra-time to Atletico Madrid in the final. But it's not just that success which has made him highly sought after. He's done it with flair, getting the best out of good, but by no means great players like Bobby Zamora, Zoltan Gera and Simon Davies. He's also impressed in the transfer market, with bargains like Brede Hangeland and Mark Schwarzer. The blend of continental know-how and style and English grit mean he would be the perfect candidate. Forever unflustered, he's been round the block - spells at Inter Milan, at Swedish and Swiss club teams, as well as the Switzerland and Finland national teams mean he's served his apprenticeship. At the age of 62, this could be his last chance to manage a truly big English club, and truly put to bed his nightmare spell at Blackburn Rovers at the end of the last decade.

VERDICT - ONE OF THE FRONT RUNNERS

7/1 - Sven Goran Eriksson, Ivory Coast (leaving after the World Cup).

This would not be a popular choice among the majority of Liverpool fans, I would hasten to suggest. His only stint in club management was at Manchester City, which only lasted a season and ended with an 8-1 defeat to Middlesbrough. His spell at Mexico was an unmitigated disaster, while his England career, which promised so much, ultimately ended in disappointment. This is not the same Sven who was so successful at Sampdoria and Lazio in ItalyAnd no one needs a personality bigger than the club. Which is what he would bring, if the scandals with Ulrika Jonsson and Faria Alam are anything to go by.

VERDICT - POSSIBLY IN PRINCIPLE, NOT A GOOD CHOICE IN REALITY

10/1 - Guus Hiddink, taking over as Turkey national team coach in August.

In principle, this would be a great appointment. His credentials stand up to anyone's in world football in the modern game. He is relatively raw in terms of club management - his stint at Chelsea being his only club job since 2006, although he was very impressive in his six months at Stamford Bridge. This should stand him in good stead for another Premier League job. He has a good record from two stints at PSV Eindhoven, Valencia and Real Madrid, and everyone knows the jobs he has done on the international stage in the last decade, at South Korea, Australia and Russia. It seems that no job is too big for him. And the same as applies for Hodgson, but at a higher level, is that he plays football in the right way. His teams keep the ball on the ground, playing their way towards goal. There is one huge snag though. He has already agreed to take charge of the Turkish national team in August. And he is fiercely loyal, and is unlikely to renege on an agreed contract. This is what presented him being made permanent manager at Chelsea last summer - his contract with the Russian national team. This is a good quality to have, but will probably mean he will not be taking up position in the manger's office at Liverpool for next season.

VERDICT - WOULD BE A GREAT APPOINTMENT, BUT COMMITMENTS WILL PREVENT THIS COMING TO FRUITION

12/1 - Mark Hughes, free agent.

The main advantage about Hughes would be the cost factor - as a free agent no compensation would need to be paid to Hughes. In my opinion, it does not matter that he is a former Manchester United legend. He may have been unlucky to have been given the boot at Manchester City, but he never truly impressed with the pressure of being a newly big club with deep pockets. This suggests maybe Hughes is better managing smaller teams with lower budgets and expectations, and overachieving. Just look at his time at Blackburn. He was also successful as a very young international manager for Wales, but I don't think Hughes has enough experience to take on such a mammouth task.

VERDICT - TOO INEXPERIENCED.

14/1 - Alex McLeish, Birmingham City.

I may be about to completely contradict myself, but as far as British appointments go, McLeish would not be the worst in the world. He may still be inexperienced in terms of English club management, but from what I've seen at Birmingham, he looks mature beyond his years. He has got the most out of an incredibly limited squad, and ninth will have been better than anyone connected with the club would have expected. And like so many of these candidates, he plays the game the right way - on the floor, not in the air. His international experience managing Scotland, where he came agonisingly close to qualifying for Euro 2008 in a group containing World Cup finalists Italy and France, will be invaluable if he were to be given an opportunity to manage the big names at Liverpool. Having had Sir Alex Ferguson as a mentor at Aberdeen, where he was captain, can't have harmed his development. This job may have come a bit too soon, but expect him to go onto bigger and better things.

VERDICT - A DECENT OUTSIDE BET

14-1 - Luiz Felipe Scolari, free agent.

With his experience in English club football - a disappointing eight month spell at Chelsea - this appointment would not be greeted with a great deal of pleasure. His credentials are strong - World Cup winner and semi-finalist, European Championships finalist, as well as having a reputation as a fearsome taskmaster back in Brazil. But this could count against him, as his confrontational nature could count against him in a difficult time for the club. He was overawed during his time at Stamford Bridge, and that was a far easier task than he will face at Anfield. He is a free agent having left Uzbek club Bunyodkor after a year in charge, after failing to help them qualify for the last 16 of the Asian Champions League. Hardly awe-inspiring, and it is clear why he was in this footballing outpost for - the pay packet of 13 million Euros per year making him the highest paid manager in history. So there is the possibility he would have questionable motives.

VERDICT - WOULD BE A DODGY CHOICE

16-1 - Jurgen Klinsmann, free agent.

Again, this choice would have the added advantage of being a free agent meaning no compensation would have to be paid. However, in my opinion, his lack of experience in club management, and management in general, should count against him. A disastrous stint in charge of Bayern Munich between 2008/09 is the only track record at club level he has on his CV, which is hardly going to inspire confidence. There were rumours of dressing-room unrest and questionable training methods, and he didn't even see out the season. He definitely has good man-management skills in the right environment, and has an attacking footballing philosophy. However, I feel this job is too big for such an inexperienced manager, but don't be surprised to see the board go down this route. After all, they did sound him out when Rafael Benitez was still Liverpool manager.

VERDICT - WOULD BE A BIG RISK

16/1 - Frank Rijkaard, Galatasaray.

A stellar playing career has been followed by a pretty good managerial career, and he is one of the leading and most well qualified foreign managers if Liverpool are to go down the continental route again. He has a wonderful attacking mentality (it would hard not to be being Dutch) and he has instilled that into his teams. His first post was for the Dutch national side, whom he took to the brink of the Euro 2000 final, and followed that with a stint at Sparta Rotterdam, before taking on the huge task of competing with Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish game, when he took over at the Nou Camp. This he did, and with style. He won Barcelona just their second Champions League title and helped bring through a certain Lionel Messi. He is well versed at managing big egos and off the field politics, and may relish the chance to return to the spotlight following a season in Turkey with Galatasaray, who he could only lead to third.

VERDICT - EXPERIENCE AND CREDENTIALS, ONE OF THE TOP FOREIGN CANDIDATES

16/1 - Manuel Pellegrini, free agent.

It would be interesting if Pellegrini were to arrive at Anfield - this would be an extremely similar appointment to Benitez, and this is something the board might shy away from. He was unlucky to be given the boot after just a season at Real Madrid - he was unfortunate that a club record 96 points in La Liga was still three points short of the supreme Barcelona. His reputation has been built on an excellent five year spell in charge of Villarreal, who he transformed from mid-table provincial club to Champions League semi-finalists. Very similar to the achievements of Benitez at Valencia then, but to a lesser degree. Not the right appointment in my opinion. And he said some problems with the big egos at Real Madrid.

VERDICT - TOO SIMILAR TO BENITEZ

20/1 - Slaven Bilic, Croatia

He has been an impressive figure as manager of the Croatian national team, both in the teams he sends onto the pitch and in his attitude off the pitch. Fiercely self-confident and supportive of his team, he is a player's dream to have as a manager. Despite Croatia's failure to qualify for the World Cup, his stock is still high. However, with the Croatian job being the only of his managerial career, his inexperience could count against him. The infrequent meet-ups of a national team squad will be a huge contrast to the day-to-day runnings of a football club, especially one in as much turmoil as Liverpool. An easier transition into club management, in a job with less pressure, would be more beneficial to Bilic. His time at West Ham United and Everton as a player mean he wouldn't be completely unprepared, though.

VERDICT - JOB'S COME TOO SOON FOR THE CROAT

20/1 - Louis van Gaal, Bayern Munich.

Another foreigner who should be high on the board's shopping list. Following a strong season at Bayern Munich, he has further enhanced his managerial reputation. Relatively successful wherever he has been, at Ajax, Barcelona and AZ Alkmaar, the only blot on his managerial record was in charge of the Dutch national side, whom he failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. However, Bayern would be loathed to lose their best manager in years, who took the German side to within a Champions League final defeat of the treble. He has built a tremendously attacking team, built around wingers Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben. He would certainly have the experience to cope with the massive job at Anfield, and he has experience of working on a budget at AZ and these facets all make him a strong candidate.

VERDICT - A DECENT OUTSIDE BET - BUT THAT'S ALL HE IS

No odds - Marcelo Lippi, Italy (leaving after the 2010 World Cup).

There hasn't been any business for Lippi in the bookmakers, which is certainly a surprise given his track record. The biggest question mark is whether he will want to remain in football management - he didn't after his first stint in charge of the national team, after winning the 2006 World Cup. Much may depend on how Italy perform in South Africa. One of the most outstanding managers in football history, he has been there, done that and achieved it all. So maybe it will be a mouthwatering challenge to take on the reins at a big, ailing foreign club, to wrap up his managerial career. A brilliant tactician and man-manager, he could be just the man to galvinise Liverpool.

VERDICT - WOULD BE A LONG SHOT, BUT WOULD BE A GREAT COUP


For my money, the choice should be between Hodgson, Hiddink and Lippi, circumstances permitting, with McLeish, Rijkaard and van Gaal as outside bets. Only Dalglish and Purslow know whether they will follow this advice.