Both Roy Hodgson, having not led a top European side since Inter in 1999, and Kenny Dalglish, who had been out of the game a long time, were gambles by Liverpool. This time they need a proven winner. One who is winning right now.
That might seem unfair on Roberto Martinez 7.26/1, Brendan Rodgers 11.010/1 and Paul Lambert 42.041/1, whose work this season has rightly earned praise and links with more attractive jobs.
It may also sound like unrealistic criteria given that the Reds can't offer Champions League football, however they can provide substantial transfer funds and a decent base, including the Premier League's joint-third most effective defence and a strike partnership with huge potential.
Rafael Benitez is a worthy candidate at 12.523/2, but after being forced to write off their last attempt to restore an Anfield legend, John Henry, Tom Werner and co will be inclined to introduce a fresh face.
Fabio Capello is another with the CV to make a claim at 16.531/2, a champion with every club he has managed, though his plan to retire in two years means he isn't a viable long-term option, while the media would be out to get him.
Assuming that Jose Mourinho 26.025/1 and Pep Guardiola 60.059/1 are a tad too ambitious, and discounting Frank Rijkaard 16.015/1 because his career has stagnated since guiding Barcelona to the Champions League in 2006, the outstanding name on the Betfair list at 16.015/1 is Jurgen Klopp.
Would he leave Borussia Dortmund? Potentially not, yet he appears more obtainable than Mourinho or Guardiola and is certainly worth at least sounding out.
There are parallels between Klopp now and Benitez in 2004, a coach who has twice guided a team to a major league championship at the expense of European giants, taking what could be perceived as a step back to accept the appetising challenge of re-establishing Liverpool.
The circumstances did vary, Benitez falling out with his bosses at Valencia and already achieving European success there in the UEFA Cup, with the cushion of Champions League involvement on Merseyside.
Klopp has yet to sustain a continental assault with Borussia Dortmund, but he may look at Bayern Munich's greater spending power, and the vultures circling now his players have shown their first title was no fluke - star man Shinji Kagawa won't be renewing - and decide it is time to move on.
If he was willing to, Liverpool definitely wouldn't be the only suitors, however what they do have is the opportunity to get in there first.