Liverpool are a club in turmoil with Rafa Benitez a dead man walking as the team lurch from one crisis to another, out of the title race, out of the FA Cup and the League Cup and out of the Champions league means that all the Reds can do this season is try to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top four. The speculation has built into a frenzy in recent weeks with all sorts of potential candidates lining up to take the helm at Anfield if and when Rafa does finally get the elbow as expected. The Sack Race has been looking in depth at some of the candidates who are in the Next Liverpool Manager Betting, who is the most likely to take the reigns and who can Liverpool attract to the club if they are not in the Champions League?

The most obvious candidate is King Kenny Dalglish who is already at the club in an advisory and Academy role which means he would be able to swiftly move downstairs and retake the job he held so famously in the late 80’s, Dalglish is quite simply a Liverpool legend and would be a hugely popular choice amongst the faithful on the Kop. He is regarded as Liverpool’s greatest player and won several League crowns as a Manager at the club, he also led Blackburn to the Premier League in 1995 so knows what it takes to go all the way in a season. He left the club abruptly when Manager in 1991 citing the pressures of the job and has not been a Manager since 2000 when he had an unsuccessful spell at Celtic, we feel it is unlikely that Kenny would be interested in taking on the role full-time but may be more than happy to take the reigns on a short term basis if asked. He has the club in his heart which can work both ways when Managing and will be looking out for the best interests for the club rather than personal gain or money.

A more extravagant appointment would be the ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho who has made it perfectly clear that he is itching for a return to English football at some stage in his career, Jose is currently having success with Inter Milan in Italy and is of course the former Chelsea Manager. Mourinho brought two Premier League crowns to Stamford Bridge during his time and has proven himself to be successful where ever he manages, he is a proven winner but is more than happy to ruffle a few feathers on the way to winning trophies which is not normally the Liverpool way. He has been criticised in the past for jumping ship after a few years and if it is money he is after to rebuild the squad then Liverpool is not the club for him, the club are in debt and cannot compete with the likes of Man City or Chelsea in the transfer market at the moment. The former Porto Manager is a known ego maniac and the chance to bring Liverpool their first title in over twenty years could be right up his street, he would be welcomed by the Liverpool fans and he could be the ‘Special One’ on Merseyside if he could bring the Premier League to Anfield.

Guus Hiddink is a name that is continually being mentioned for Liverpool in recent weeks and he could be ready to head back to England after a good spell with Chelsea last season, the Dutchman is the current Russian Gaffer but his contract is up in the Summer and he is ready to return to England by all accounts. Hiddink has an excellent reputation and was extremely popular at Stamford Bridge, he has stated his desire to return to England and Liverpool could be his destination. He has had success all over the world from South Korea to Australia to Spain and would love to add a Premier League crown to his CV, he will be available in the Summer and looks a front runner for in the betting and we can understand why.

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