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JOHN ALDRIDGE believes Liverpool have already lined up a replacement for manager Rafa Benitez – but is hoping the Spaniard’s departure from Anfield is amicable.
The Liverpool board have started negotiations with Benitez over a severance package to bring his six-year reign to an end.
Aldridge insists he wasn’t surprised by the “bold” decision to dispense with Benitez’s services and he wants the boss’ exit to be dignified.
“Nothing surprises me about Liverpool any more,” he said. “The ones who should be getting out of the club are the owners, Hicks and Gillett. They should be going before anyone else but Rafa is going first.
“It’s a bold move as it’s always a gamble to change the manager. A lot of supporters haven’t been happy with what Rafa has done this year and the way the team fell away.
“He had a lot of injuries to contend with but some of our football away from home was really poor. It went stale last season and it could be time for a change.
“I just hope it is all sorted out in the right manner. That the two parties get together amicably and agree it’s the end of the road and go their separate ways.
“The last thing we want is any more rows. We’ve already hung enough of our dirty laundry out in public.”
Despite the lack of cash available for new signings, Aldridge believes there will be no shortage of top quality contenders wanting to succeed Benitez.
“Liverpool is still a massive club with a massive history – we won’t struggle to attract a big name,” he said. “Okay we don’t have a lot of money but what a challenge it is to come in at this time and try to turn it around.
“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, Liverpool had Rafa lined up.
“Some people will say give the job to Kenny Dalglish in the short term. Of course Kenny knows his stuff but we need a permanent boss in place within a week.
“This is a crucial time for making signings and deciding who to get rid of. The new man has to sit down with the players and tell them where he sees Liverpool going.
“Of course Jose Mourinho is out after he went to Real Madrid but there are plenty of good coaches out there like Martin O’Neill, Guus Hiddink and Louis Van Gaal.”
Aldridge believes Benitez, who won the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup a year later, deserves great credit for what he has achieved over the past six years.
“We mustn’t forget what Rafa’s done for the club and it’s been so much better than Houllier’s reign,” he added
“He’s taken us to two European Cup finals, including that amazing night in Istanbul and has always done his best for the club.
“It’s a pity that he wasn’t backed in the transfer market as much as he should have been. If he had been backed a bit more we might have won the league title.
“Things just didn’t work out last season and we went backwards, big time.
“No-one is bigger than the club and Liverpool have to move on now.
“We have to put the foundations down for a new era.”
