Buzzin Football

So its official at last, Rafael Benitez has left Liverpool by mutual consent and so starts another tense period for Reds fans as the rumour mill goes into overdrive regarding who will fill the Spaniards shoes and indeed where Benitez himself will surface.

The second part should be easier to predict as Rafa has already been linked with a move to Inter Milan as replacement for Jose Mourinho, and while I imagine that is the most likely destination I also wonder how much Benitez will rue missing out on a return to Spain with Real Madrid, now that he is a free agent.

As for his replacement, Kenny Dalglish does not appear to be in the frame at all, but favourites in the press are Martin O’Neil, Roy Hodgson and Guus Hiddink, despite the latter signing a contract to coach the Turkish national side.

Former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has been mentioned as a candidate in the past and would, I expect relish the opportunity of joining Liverpool, if only to settle old scores with rivals City.

In his favour there would be no compensation to pay out for his services, he is honest and hard working and expects the same from his players. He has also handled business in the transfer market pretty well prior to joining City, where the wheeling and dealing was taken on by the board.

He will feel he has something to prove after the way he was treated by City and his incredible record with Blackburn Rovers on a tight budget proved that he can get the best out of his players as a team.

And right now team spirit at Liverpool appears to be at an all time low, ensuring that the time was right to dispense with Benitez and inject some new blood into the managers hot seat.

I am sure Liverpool could do a lot worse than offering the vacancy to Mark Hughes, but let us know who you would like to see take over at the club.