Highlights

• Lille manager Paulo Fonseca is being considered as Jurgen Klopp's replacement at Liverpool, with informal talks already held.
• Liverpool backroom duo, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, are under pressure to find the right manager as the club prepares for a new era without Klopp.
• Fonseca's unique defensive tactics and experience managing big clubs make him an intriguing candidate.

Liverpool are working to appoint a new manager as a replacement for Jurgen Klopp, and a report from Anfield Watch has suggested that Lille manager Paulo Fonseca is admired at Anfield, and talks have already taken place about him potentially arriving at the club.

The Reds appear to have a host of possible candidates, with Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes likely working behind the scenes to draw up a shortlist of Klopp replacements. The backroom duo are under immense pressure to get this decision right as the Merseyside outfit prepare for a new era under a different manager.

It's going to be a difficult task to find a coach capable of replicating what Klopp has done during his time at Anfield, with the German manager winning almost everything there is to win since he arrived from Borussia Dortmund.

Liverpool Hold 'Informal Talks' With Paulo Fonseca

The Lille boss is admired at Anfield

According to a report from Anfield Watch, Fonseca is admired at Anfield and 'informal talks' were held earlier in the season regarding the soon-to-be vacant managerial position. It's unclear whether the Lille boss is the one Liverpool will focus on or whether he's on a lengthy list of names being considered.

This news comes after David Ornstein reported that a move to Liverpool for Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim was now considered unlikely, despite the 39-year-old being under consideration. West Ham United are now in talks to bring Amorim to the Premier League, with the young coach not expected to be a preferred candidate for Edwards and Hughes.

Fonseca would be an interesting candidate for Liverpool, but his lack of Premier League experience could be a concern. The 51-year-old has managed a host of big clubs in various countries, including Lille, Shakhtar Donetsk, Roma, and Porto. Fonseca's Lille side are currently sitting in fourth place in Ligue 1 and look set to qualify for the Champions League.

Liverpool might be considering thinking outside the box with their next appointment, and it's easy to forget that Klopp had no Premier League experience when he arrived in England. With Klopp announcing his departure from Anfield earlier in the season, this has given the decision-makers at the Merseyside club plenty of time to analyse and identify a host of different options.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Paulo Fonseca has averaged 1.81 points per game during his time at Lille.

Paulo Fonseca's 3-2-5 formation

It's a complex system from the Lille manager

Tactical analysis website Breaking The Lines have taken a look at Fonseca's system at Lille, with the Portuguese coach preferring a 4-2-3-1 formation on paper. In possession, Lille's setup changes to more of a 3-2-5, with one of the full-backs slotting in alongside the two centre-backs, and the other pushing on into attack.

In terms of transmitting this system to Liverpool, it would certainly be interesting and could allow a player like Trent Alexander-Arnold to have plenty of freedom to get forward. Klopp has found a way of unleashing the England international in a central area, while Fonseca might utilise him high and wide.

All stats courtesy of Transfermarkt