Finding Jurgen Klopp's successor was never going to be an easy task. The German has left big boots to fill and, while taking over the reins at Anfield may be an exciting prospect for any aspiring manager, acquiring a coach to step in to replace Klopp is seemingly proving a difficult task for sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO Michael Edwards. 

After the disappointment of missing out on Xabi Alonso, it appears Liverpool have also been dealt a blow in their bid to land Ruben Amorim as their next manager. The in-demand Sporting Lisbon boss has this week been on a flying visit to London to meet with representatives at West Ham. 

He arrived in the capital on Monday and spoke with Hammers' executives about a potential deal to take over from David Moyes, according to CNN Portugal. The 39-year-old returned to Portugal on Tuesday, and was met by journalists who pressed him on his future. While he laughed off their questions, Portuguese news outlet A Bola are claiming that West Ham have offered him 'considerably more' than what Liverpool tabled.

But money isn't everything, with West Ham also set to give him the 'freedom to build his squad as he wishes'. That whole package could prove to be a big lure for the Portuguese manager and it is understood that Amorim could be available to the English club for around £12.8million. 

The 39-year-old has repeatedly dismissed claims that he could become the next Liverpool boss and it is now looking less likely that the Merseyside club will land him in the summer, meaning Edwards and Hughes will have to look elsewhere - but who is still in the running to succeed Klopp?

West Ham held talks with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim on Monday in London 

Arne Slot

Feyenoord boss Slot emerged a shock frontrunner to replace Klopp on Tuesday as Liverpool ramped up their search for a successor.

Tottenham fans, who were keen on luring the manager before hiring Ange Postecoglou last summer, were left fuming when Slot announced that he would be staying at Feyenoord this season. 

It turns out things didn't work out too badly for Spurs, despite missing out on their main target, with Ange Postecoglou joining in the summer and subsequently becoming a fan favourite at the club. 

After holding exploratory talks over a move to north London, Slot announced that he would be staying in the Netherlands - having won the Dutch Eredivisie title with Feyenoord last season. 

While he hasn't been able to repeat that feat during the 2023-24 campaign, Slot has pushed Feyenoord to second in the league standings, using his attacking and entertaining brand of football. 

He is an innovative manager who understands how modern-day footballers operate - meaning he can deliver a rousing team talk or dish out a telling off, should it be required. And his tactics are similar to those that Liverpool deploy under Klopp - with the 45-year-old instructing his players to deploy an intensive man-marking strategy and win the ball back early. 

There is a concern that new CEO of football Edwards may have to dip deep into his coffers to sign the Dutchman though, with Slot agreeing a three-year deal to stay at Feyenoord in May, 2023 after snubbing a move to Spurs. 

Roberto De Zerbi 

Formerly a leading contender to take the Liverpool job after Hughes, who previously worked as Bournemouth's sporting director, wanted to appoint the Italian coach as the Cherries boss. 

'Richard Hughes wanted De Zerbi at Bournemouth, so he must be the favourite if this is true,' Carragher said. 

De Zerbi's success deploying a fast and entertaining brand of football at Brighton has earned him plenty of praise over the years, with the 44-year-old taking over from Graham Potter in 2022, before guiding Brighton to qualify for the Europa League last season. 

He has grown in stature to becoming one of the most well-respected managers in the Premier League - and that casts some doubt over whether he would leave Brighton to join a top-flight rival - especially considering the team he has built. 

David Ornstein has also claimed that the move might not go ahead, telling The Athletic FC Podcast: 'My information is that it’s incredibly unlikely that Liverpool will go for De Zerbi.' 

Amid the conflicting rumours, the Italian has been on Liverpool's radar at points during their search for a new manager, according to Sky Sports.

Thiago Motta

Bologna boss, Motta, is another manager who has reportedly been on Edwards and Hughes' radar of late. The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has plenty of experience winning trophies over the years and that will no doubt entice Liverpool into hiring him. 

The 41-year-old has an impressive managerial CV too. He started his coaching journey taking charge of the PSG U19 team, before enjoying stints with Genoa and Spezia Calcio. With Bologna, the former Italy international has guided the Rossoblu up to fourth in the Serie A standings - with the club on the verge of securing Champions League football for the first time in their history next season.

His agent Alessandro Canovi, has not ruled out a move to Liverpool either, claiming that 'interesting offers' could come in the next few weeks. He told TMW Radio via Calcio Mercato: 'There are no agreements or dialogues. At the moment the only reality is that Motta has an expiring contract with Bologna.

'Will he stay at Bologna? I can't say, because I don't have negotiations with anyone. We cannot talk about things that do not exist. 

'The situation of the big names? The confirmation of Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen has opened up several important candidates for Liverpool and Bayern Munich. As well as Barcelona. They are three interesting and highly coveted benches now.'

While it might be unlikely that he wil leave his current club just as they secure a berth in the Champions League, Motta's agent's comments are curious to say the least.

Thomas Frank

The Dane has been touted as a managerial successor to Klopp for some time. Speculation from TeamTALK suggests that the Reds are considering the Brentford boss as a serious contender to take over from the German. 

He has been at the forefront of success at the Gtech Community Stadium since he was appointed first-team coach in 2018. Frank would oversee their promotion to the top-flight in 2021, with the ever-charismatic tactician having kept Brentford in the the Premier League for the last three seasons. 

What's more is that he's established them as one of the toughest teams in the league to beat - thanks to their extreme energy around the park. He and Klopp share very similar ideas of how their teams should operate - with Frank emploring his players to run their opponents off the pitch. 

‘There’s a lot of rumours out there,' Frank said to Sky Sports in February on the links to Liverpool. 'I think we all have kind of an ego and the ego likes that little bit of sugar but at the end of the day, I’m at Brentford. I’m very happy here.’ 

‘Do I have ambitions? Yes. Am I going to stay at Brentford forever? Maybe but probably not. So who knows what’s going to happen in the future? What I know is that I’m here at Brentford and I’m very happy with it.’

Thomas Tuchel 

Could the German make a return to the Premier League, following his disappointing exit from Chelsea in 2022? 

There is some speculation that Tuchel may not fit the right persona to succeed as the Liverpool manager - with Mail Sport columnist Danny Murphy previously telling talkSPORT that the outgoing Bayern Munich boss 'is too divisive' and that 'he's not a Liverpool manager.'

This season, Bayern have conceded the German title to Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, with Tuchel announcing that he will leave the side at the end of the season. 

According to The Telegraph, the former Champions League winning manager will prioritise a move back to England, putting several Premier League clubs on red alert. 

Paulo Fonseca

Paulo Fonseca's Lille side suffered an agonising defeat on penalties by Aston Villa last week. It was a tough result, but the French side look set to qualify for European football again this season and go one better than their achievements in the 2022-23 campaign, by securing a berth in the Champions League qualifiers. 

In the latest plot twist of Liverpool's manager hunt, speculation is growing that the Portuguese coach is the latest candidate to be added to Liverpool's managerial shortlist. 

He possesses plenty of experience having worked at big clubs across Europe, including Shakhtar, Roma and Porto. He had also been on the verge of a move to Tottenham in 2021, but that deal fell through because then-sporting director Fabio Paratici wanted Spurs to play a little more defensively. 

'I have some principles,' Fonseca said on his failed move to Spurs. 'I wanted to be coach of the great teams but I want the right project and a club where the people believe in my ideas, my way to play, and this didn't happen with the managing director.'

Perhaps joining Liverpool could be the right project for him?