Liverpool Hot Seat's Latest Twist: Enter Didier Deschamps

In latest reports surrounding the possible successor of Rafael Benitez at Anfield, Didier Deschamps, the brilliant former French midfielder has emerged as another strong candidate.

Marseille President Jean-Claude Dassier has reportedly revealed that Liverpool FC MD Christian Purslow has enquired him about a possible meeting with the agent of Didier Deschamps. Deschamps is also considered to be very flattered by the interest shown in him from one of the giant clubs of Europe.

Although Dassier remains very confident about Deschamps continuance of his current managerial post at Marseille, where he took the club to Ligue 1 championship glory after 18 years.

Still in his early 40s, Didier Deschamps remains one of the most promising young club managers around. After ending his illustrious playing career, the charismatic midfielder started his coaching career with Monaco in 2001. Amongst his other notable achievements as a coach, he took the then-controversially relegated Serie B team Juventus to the title in his one year in charge at Turin.

Deschamps has one year still to go on his contract and is also yet to pen down any extension with his present employers. This may in fact make him a viable candidate for the coveted job at Merseyside, as Liverpool would then have to pay a much lesser compensation for his services.

However, with Hicks and Gillette still officially the owners of the club the financial restrictions at the club could well prove to be a major obstacle in sealing the deal with Deschamps.

Moreover, as per reports, Roy Hodgson still remains the favorite to land the Liverpool job, though Hodgson's resolve may well be put to test if England exit from the World Cup after their encounter with three-time world champions Germany and Fabio Capello is consequently fired.

Roy Hodgson had openly stated earlier that he would be more than interested in the job of managing England if a chance came his way and news has it that he is also a favorite to succeed Capello.

Thus, Liverpool FC are not 100 percent certain of Hodgson's signing and have been considering secret interviews of numerous possible candidates. After Manuel Pellegrini was reportedly in talks with Dalglish, this latest talk about Deschamps by Purslow only iterates the fact that Liverpool are desperately looking to go through all possible options before handing over the Anfield hot seat.

With Deschamps being the latest to be linked, it may well be that Liverpool FC are looking for long-term solutions and not just a stop-gap arrangement, something that most argue would make Dalglish the best fit for the job.