Brendan Rodgers' time at Anfield has come to an end, and given that he was under serious pressure in the weeks and months leading up to his eventual sacking, there have already been a few names linked with the job.
While Liverpool is a big club with a huge history, they are going through a bit of a difficult time, having not tasted any success or claimed silverware in several years.
That's what the fans and owners are looking for from the new man in charge, but who is more likely to bring that back to the team? We take a look through the pros and cons of the names in the frame for the job, and one or two who aren't yet.
Carlo Ancelotti
If someone came to you with a CV reading three Champions League trophies, you wouldn't exactly stick it in a shredder.
The Italian's achievements have been there for all to see during spells in charge of Juventus, Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid, with the latter job seeing him taking the La Liga club to their 10th Champions League title before being unceremoniously carted away a year on, this May.
Ancelotti never won La Liga during his two-year spell with Real and looking at his past exploits, he is not a prolific league champion with one Scudetto for Milan in eight years, a Ligue 1 triumph with wealthy Paris Saint-Germain and one Premier League crown with Chelsea.
However, his win percentage in all his jobs since taking over at Juve in 1999 has been over 55 per cent, with the figure sitting at over 60 per cent in his last three jobs including Chelsea.
Ancelotti with Berlusconi and Paolo Maldini after winning the FIFA World Club Cup in 2007 (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
His man-management is also one of his strongest suits, considering his ability to keep egos in check at some of the biggest clubs in the world without a sniff of rumours of fallouts with players.
Indeed, Cristiano Ronaldo was believed to be hugely disappointed that the former Roma and Milan midfielder parted ways with him.
That man-management is reflected in his adaptability. At Silvio Berlusconi's Milan and Florentino Perez's Real, he certainly would not have been the figure in charge of transfer strategies but in both cases was able to build successful sides with the tools he was given.
With Liverpool's transfer committee in place, you would imagine Ancelotti raising his famously arched eyebrow and then just getting on with the task at hand with consummate class.
Pros:
- Adaptability
- Man-management
- Tactics
Cons:
- Not as prolific when it comes to league campaigns, apart from glorious exceptions
Jurgen Klopp
The former Borussia Dortmund manager appears to be the popular choice in some quarters with his infectious personality and high-energy approach.
Indeed he describes his own football philosophy as "heavy metal" rather than "orchestral", which harks back to the Luis Suarez-infused style that worked for Brendan Rodgers when he almost brought the league title to Anfield in 2013-14.
That high-pressing style of football worked well for Klopp in his early days at Borussia Dortmund as he won two Bundesliga titles in a row, and then took the German side to the very brink of Champions League glory with a side assembled on a very small budget.
Liverpool Manager Brendan Rodgers (left) and Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp after Pre-Season friendly match at Anfield in 2014 (Richard Sellers / PA Archive/PA Images)
However, the bottom fell out of that system last season, which was a disaster for Dortmund as they ran out of steam, partly down to losing key players every year and the tiredness from their high-energy approach over successive seasons. They flirted with relegation before settling in a disappointing mid-table finish last season, and Klopp did not seem to be able to find the answers.
With all the talk of "footballing philosophies" and "projects" that surround the Liverpool job under the new owners, Klopp's approach may prove to be a bit too one-dimensional to work properly or in the long-term.
John Giles thinks he would suit Liverpool if he is seeking a fresh start in Merseyside direction, based on his ability to deliver success without spending mega-bucks as he did at Dortmund.
But as German football writer Uli Hesse also told Off The Ball last season, Klopp will look for a club where he "doesn't have to answer to too many people" which could be an issue when it comes to transfers if Liverpool's committee is still in place.
Pros:
- Man-management and personality
- Ability to deliver success with relatively meagre budget
Cons:
- Question marks over adaptability should his favoured high-energy, press tactics fail
Frank De Boer
Like Klopp, last season was not quite as impressive for the Ajax boss, as his run of four league titles in a row was trumped by domestic rivals PSV.
De Boer comes from the Ajax school of totaalvoetbal; that philosophy and the former players he is surrounded with at the club helped reinvigorate Ajax and their young squad, until last season's disappointing campaign.
Image: Peter Dejong / AP/Press Association Images
The Champions League, though, has proved a step too far - although that could be as much to do with their lack of financial resources in comparison to the bigger clubs - with an inability to qualify out of any of the groups they have been placed in. They also lost out to Rapid Vienna in this season's play-off tournament, meaning they didn't even make it to the competition proper.
De Boer has elicited interest from the Premier League in the past, most notably from Tottenham before they eventually linked up with Mauricio Pochettino, and also reportedly with Newcastle.
Pros:
- Working with young players
- Impressive track record of success in Netherlands
Cons:
- May lack experience of other candidates. Only managed Ajax since 2010
Unai Emery
"I know there is a certain degree of anxiety in him that he should go to the Premier League as soon as he can. When he went to [Spartak] Moscow, it didn't work out. He found it an unhappy cultural experience and he was stung by that.
"He's intense, he's talented, he's got brilliant football judgement ... but he's another man in a hurry. Therefore, I think staying is feasible. Champions League with the team you built? Again, feasible."
That's what Off The Ball's European football correspondent Graham Hunter had to say about the Sevilla boss after he led the Andalusian club to a second Europa League title in a row, thereby qualifying for the Champions League.
Unai Emery (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
The Spaniard's attention to detail is famous as The Guardian's Spanish football expert Sid Lowe once brilliantly recounted: "When he was at Valencia, Emery gave each player his own pen drive with images and information on the men they would be facing. He suspected that one player was not bothering to do his “homework” – he will not say who it was but it was not Joaquín – so one week he gave him a blank pen drive. “‘Did you see it?’ ‘Yes, don’t worry boss’. And it was empty.” These days at Sevilla the individualised analyses, videos that are three or four minutes long, are done with the players in the final hour before the game."
Like Klopp and De Boer, he has worked with talented players, but not generally ones who have been acquired for vast sums. That could well suit Liverpool, where there is more cash to spend than at Sevilla, but less to spend in relative terms when compared to the main challengers for the Premier League.
One negative is his reported low level of English. Although the language barrier is not insurmountable with the right translators, assistants and methods of getting messages across to the players, it would mean he might need longer to settle in.
Pros:
- Unrivalled attention to detail
- Sustained success with Sevilla, in particular bringing silverware in the form of cup trophies
- Ability to work to tight budget
Cons:
- Language barrier potentially
So, who do you think should get the job? Vote below and let us know.
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