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.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.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.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. 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.Yet, amongst the litany of unanswered questions which remain, one stands out above all others:Who exactly will replace him at Anfield?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.'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.'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.Former Reds striker David Fairclough, however, believes the solution could lie within the club itself.'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.'Fans would take to that. I don't think it would be a bad appointment, certainly in the short term.'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.The favourites>>

Source: Liverpool_Echo