With Amorim out, here are 5 other potential Liverpool managers

First, we thought Xabi Alonso was a done deal. Then, it was Rúben Amorim. Now it's looking like neither will be patrolling the touchline at Anfield starting in August.

It appears that negotiations with Amorim's camp have fallen apart due to financial considerations, so the search for Jürgen Klopp's successor continues. Let's take a look at a few potential options now that a deal with Amorim at least seems to be off the table.

Thomas Frank

At this point, Frank might be the leading contender to lead the Reds into the 2024-25 campaign. Unlike some of the other managers on this list, Frank has been at his current club for awhile and doesn't seem to have the resources to build towards something bigger in the job; he may have reached his ceiling in the position, and could very well be looking to move on to greener pastures.

Frank inherited a Brentford team that was not only in the Championship, they were just a few years removed from League One play.

He led them to their first Premier League promotion- the club's first top-flight season since 1947- and has kept them up for three seasons now, including a highly impressive ninth-place finish in 2023.

Kindly enough, Frank's Brentford have refrained from taking points off of Liverpool this season, but they did so in each of Liverpool's first two Premier League visits to the Bees' home in West London with a pair of three-goal efforts, one thrilling draw and one Brentford win.

The Danish gaffer has his team playing some lovely football, arguably well above their talent level, and should be able to do the same at Anfield if given time to develop his iteration of the club.

Roberto De Zerbi

De Zerbi's Premier League managerial debut came against Liverpool, and he made a real splash with a 3-3 draw at Anfield.

He's helped to develop serious talent that has moved on to some of England's biggest clubs, like Arsenal's Leandro Trossard, Chelsea's Moisés Caicedo, and of course Liverpool's own Alexis Mac Allister.

Perhaps tellingly, many of these big-name moves have underperformed at their new clubs, with the notable exception of the outstanding Mac Allister. This could very well be a testament to De Zerbi's own ability to get the most out of his players, a trait we've come to know and love in Klopp.

Brighton have generally overperformed under De Zerbi, including a highly impressive sixth-place finish in the league last year.

This hiring could handle the proverbial two birds with one stone- following that debut draw for De Zerbi, his Seagulls smashed Liverpool 3-0 in the league later that same season just before eliminating them from the FA Cup.

This year, the teams fought to a 2-2 draw in October before Liverpool squeaked out a close win in late March- hiring De Zerbi might not only give Liverpool a manager who has certainly shown his Premier League mettle, it could also diminish a club that has been a real thorn in the Reds' side since the Italian manager showed up.

Unai Emery

Speaking of cutting down an underdog club's rising momentum, nobody in England is in the middle of a turnaround like Emery's Aston Villa.

This team was in the Championship as recently as 2019, and when Emery showed up in the fall of 2022, Steven Gerrard's leadership saw them fighting relegation through 11 games.

Miraculously, he pulled the club all the way up to seventh place, a marked improvement upon their 14th-place finish a year earlier, and this season, they're fourth in the Premier League while also balancing an active semifinal run in the Europa Conference League.

If Villa can hold onto fourth place, Emery would have them in the Champions League for the first time since 1983, a year in which they only qualified due to winning the trophy a year earlier.

The issue is that if Villa do stay in the UCL places, Emery might want to see things through and manage his club through the competition.

However, if he really wants to push for the top in terms of winning the sport's biggest trophies, that's going to be a tall order in his current position, even as Villa have so consistently overachieved.

Speaking of overachievement, that's been Emery's hallmark wherever he's gone. He led Sevilla to a three-peat in the Europa League, pulled off a solid run in Paris, took Arsenal to a Europa League final, and even won the competition with Villarreal in one of the greatest underdog runs in recent memory to secure by far the club's biggest-ever trophy.

Even though things are going well in Birmingham right now, perhaps he wants another shot with a true English and European giant after his tenure with Arsenal ended on a sour note.

Gary O'Neil

This rumor has popped up extremely recently- reportedly, the current Wolverhampton manager has already interviewed with the club. While the report does indicate that an offer does not seem to have been made, the proposition is an interesting one.

O'Neil made his managerial debut in 2022 with Bournemouth, as he helped them relatively comfortably stay up in their first Premier League season since 2019-20.

This year, he moved over to a Wolves side that was also projected to be a relegation candidate, and while they haven't necessarily taken the league by storm, they're right at the middle of the table, and have beaten sides like Tottenham and even Manchester City.

It wouldn't be the splashiest move, but O'Neil has been a steady riser over the past couple of seasons. His tactical style would be interesting to watch at Anfield, and with some patience, we could see him grow this version of Liverpool into perennial contenders once more.

José Mourinho

Missing out on an up-and-coming Portuguese manager? No problem, sign the greatest footballing mind the nation has ever produced. In all seriousness, the best choice if Liverpool can't secure one of their top choices for building towards the future is the greatest short-project manager of all time.

Mourinho doesn't often last long in any one job, but the first year or two are often glorious, with silverware won just about everywhere except Tottenham. The good news is that's likely all Liverpool would need from Mourinho- a couple of seasons.

The time just does not seem to be right for bright, up-and-coming footballing minds like Xabi to seek new jobs, but he's just one of several names who could be ready next summer.

Better yet, perhaps Germany performs well at the Euro and Julian Nagelsmann retains his job- with the Deutschland job off the table, Klopp just might find the energy to return after a year's sabbatical.

With the best long-term options not likely to come to Anfield this summer, there's nothing wrong with signing a bridge manager.

Perhaps most importantly, signing Mourinho would guarantee a clear divide between Klopp's era and the next. Trying to replicate Klopp's tactics and overall style is a losing battle, as the legendary manager is truly one of one.

Mourinho's tenure at Liverpool would be definitively his, rather than an attempt to extend Klopp's project, with completely different tactics and management style than we've seen in recent years.

A partnership with Mourinho would have to be approached with the proper mindset, that it's a temporary arrangement, and it would certainly bring us an unforgettable, drama-filled 2024-25 season- more likely than not with some sort of silverware involved.

After nine magical seasons with the Normal One, it's time to move on to a new chapter- likely a much shorter one- with the Special One himself.