The Liverpool hierarchy reportedly have nobody in the frame to replace Jurgen Klopp when the Reds boss steps down from his position at the end of the summer.
The 56-year-old sent shockwaves across Europe on Friday morning, announcing that he would be leaving his post at the end of the 2023-24 campaign following almost nine years at the helm.
Alongside Klopp, who confessed to "running out of energy" as his main reason for ceding control of the reins, assistant coaches Pep Lijnders, Vitor Matos and Peter Krawietz will also be departing to embark on their own managerial careers.
Once Liverpool fans had gathered their thoughts after Klopp's bombshell interview, focus quickly turned to speculation over who could step into the German's shoes, and a number of possible candidates have been mentioned.
Ex-Liverpool midfielder and Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is already the odds-on favourite, but Roberto De Zerbi, Julian Nagelsmann and Zinedine Zidane are believed to be viable alternatives to the Spaniard.
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Klopp revealed that Liverpool's owners were made aware of his intention to leave back in November, but according to The Telegraph, the powers-that-be do not have successor lined up at this moment in time.
Having been given a heads-up by Klopp two months before the news became public, the report claims that the board have been quietly planning for the announcement and will now begin a protracted recruitment process lasting until the summer.
With Alonso's Leverkusen unit currently competing for the Bundesliga title and other candidates also challenging for silverware with their respective teams, the Liverpool hierarchy will supposedly proceed with caution so as not to "destabilise" other clubs' chances of glory in the coming months.
Alonso - who managed Real Sociedad and Real Madrid's youth teams before joining Leverkusen in October 2022 - is under contract with Die Werkself until 2026, and claims that he possesses a clause in his deal allowing him to leave for one of his old clubs have been shot down by CEO Fernando Carro.
Mere hours after Klopp's announcement, Alonso reaffirmed his commitment to Leverkusen in a press conference, but the 42-year-old refused to shut the door on a future switch to Anfield should the opportunity arise.
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De Zerbi has also distanced himself from the job at Liverpool, who have won seven major honours since Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers in 2015, including their first-ever Premier League title in the 2019-20 season.
The German's 60.7% win rate is also the highest out of any Liverpool head coach to have taken charge of at least 50 games for the club, and he has vowed to never manage another team in England ever again.
Klopp is expected to take a lengthy sabbatical before deciding on his next career move, but Germany have been pursuing his services for some time, trying and failing to hire him as Hansi Flick's successor before Nagelsmann was appointed.
The former Bayern Munich boss only has a contract with the DFB until the end of Euro 2024, though, and an extension is unlikely if Die Mannschaft under-perform at this year's home championships.
As well as appointing a new manager, Liverpool are also on the hunt for their next sporting director, as Jorg Schmadtke - who only joined in the summer - will leave the club at the end of the January transfer window.
