Source: Liverpool_Echo
Who is favourite to succeed Rafa Benitez at Anfield - Liverpool FC latest
SO, after months of speculation, weeks of innuendo, and what feels like a lifetime of uncertainty, the end has finally come.[LNB]Having danced his way into the hearts of supporters on stage at the Empire last week, Rafa Benitez has now waltzed out of their lives for good.[LNB]News that the Liverpool board were working on a deal which would see him replaced as manager spread like wildfire earlier this week, and yesterday's announcement that the Spaniard's six-year reign at Anfield had ended was no surprise.[LNB]Indeed, European Champions Inter Milan are already believed to have contacted Benitez with a view to him replacing Jose Mourinho as manager at the San Siro. The football world really does move at quite a pace these days.[LNB] For Liverpool, the recriminations are obvious. Having spent much of his time on Merseyside firefighting against warring owners, a hostile media and rising expectations, the man responsible for Istanbul in 2005, Cardiff in 2006, and the Bernabeu and Old Trafford last year has fallen on his sword. A seventh-placed Premier League finish this season need not have been fatal for Benitez, but did little to ease the pressure upon his shoulders.[LNB]Yet, amongst the litany of unanswered questions which remain, one stands out above all others:[LNB]Who exactly will replace him at Anfield?[LNB]Christian Purslow and Kenny Dalglish will lead the search for a successor, yet Reds legend John Aldridge believes the powers-that-be at Liverpool will already have one lined up. He told the ECHO yesterday; 'I can't for the life of me believe they are going to let Rafa go without having someone else lined up.[LNB]'You don't make a decision like that without knowing who you are going to get in his place. When Gerard Houllier went [in 2004], Liverpool had Rafa lined up. I just hope it is all sorted out in the right manner.'[LNB]Of course the rumour mill has already been sent into overdrive, with names far and wide being linked with the hot-seat. Plenty of Merseysiders were today brushing up their CV in preparation for their own applications.[LNB]Former Reds striker David Fairclough, however, believes the solution could lie within the club itself.[LNB]'People will probably be shy to commit and Liverpool probably have a little bit of a problem on their hands in that sense,' he said, 'But with Kenny Dalglish in the back room, I wouldn't rule against someone like him being involved in how the club goes forward in a short-term way.[LNB]'Fans would take to that. I don't think it would be a bad appointment, certainly in the short term.'[LNB]The bookmakers would seem to agree, with Dalglish priced by BetFred at around 7/2 to be Liverpool's next permanent manager, having been backed in from 5/1 in the past 24 hours.[LNB]The favourites>>
