There was a collective sense of shock in the world of football yesterday when it was announced that Jurgen Klopp was set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
There had been no previous indication that the German was considering stepping down at Anfield. In fact, he seemed completely rejuvenated on the back of the team's improved fortunes this season, with Liverpool currently sitting top of the league and having already secured their place in the Carabao Cup final.
Now, the club's hierarchy will go in search of his successor.
The owners were first informed of Jurgen Klopp's decision back in November, although they had yet to begin the process of appointing a replacement in fear of the news of the 58-year old's resignation leaking. Now that everything has been made public, they can finally get things underway.
It seems they already have a few potential candidates in mind.
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Liverpool admire five managers in search for Jurgen Klopp replacement
Whoever does come in as Liverpool manager next season will have some big shoes to fill, with Jurgen Klopp one of the most successful and popular managers in the club's history.
Some reports have now circulated about who could be in the running for the role.
The Athletic have named Xabi Alonso, Roberto De Zerbi, Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank, and Julien Nagelsmann as five managers that are 'on the radar' when it comes to being the next Liverpool manager.
Alonso is regarded as the early frontrunner, having been a player at Anfield and proven to be a huge success so far during his time at Bayer Leverkusen. His profile and tactical approach is sure to appeal to the club's owners.
Roberto De Zerbi is thought of as someone who is likely to make the jump to one of Europe's biggest clubs over the next couple of years and would no doubt be considered after his incredible tactical innovations at Brighton.
Ange Postecoglou is an interesting inclusion and is a boyhood Liverpool fan. However, he was only appointed at Spurs last summer. Thomas Frank has done a brilliant job at Brentford, although he is not someone who has previously been touted for the biggest jobs.
Julien Nagelsmann was seen as perhaps the best up and coming coach in European football a couple of years ago. In saying that, he did recently have a fairly poor spell at Bayern Munich. He is also set to manage Germany at Euro 2024, although it has been expected that he would return to club football after that point.
That is certainly an interesting five-man list. With the exception of Nagelsmann, none of the names included have experience coaching at the highest level of European football. Despite this, they are all currently on an upward trajectory in their careers.
You can also be certain that other names will be touted in the coming weeks, with Benfica's Roger Schmidt and PSG's Luis Enrique two other managers that have been mentioned in some quarters.
It will certainly be an interesting few months ahead as Liverpool search for their Jurgen Klopp successor.
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