Rafa will be axed

RAFA BENITEZ will be sacked following his latest tirade against Liverpool owner Tom Hicks.

And former Kop hate-figure Jose Mourinho is the shock front runner to replace him.

Liverpool's American owners were already preparing to ditch the Spanish boss (left) after tiring of the constant behind-the-scenes bickering but this week's developments have sealed his fate.

It's now a matter of when not if the Spanish boss leaves Anfield and that's expected to be sooner rather than later.

Despite his epic Anfield bust-ups while at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho tops a wanted list already being assembled by the owners.

An approach will be made once Benitez's departure is confirmed.

The Portuguese boss may have his enemies on Merseyside, but he's recognised as one of the best and most sought after coaches in Europe.

Benitez showed no sign of ducking a fight with his hierarchy following yesterday's 3-0 win over Newcastle, despite knowing his job was on the line.

"It's clear Mr Hicks wants the best for the club. So do I," he said.

"We have been here for a long time and we know what the passion of football means and what the transfer market in Europe means.

"It's not a draft system. We have free players available now. I'm not talking about players that cost money.

"We need to talk to the agents now, if not we will lose targets. In the summer, the players will be more expensive. I have not been talking about spending but doing the opposite. We have brought money back. We brought in £26m this year and you can see the value of the squad.

"We had a meeting on the day of the Arsenal game which was really positive. After this, something changed."

They told me to be focused on coaching and training because Rick Parry will be looking after signing players."

Swing

Benitez won't walk away, adding: "I have passion for this club. The fans who were with me in Istanbul know what it means to me."

With no resignation on the horizon, Hicks (left) and Gillett are now ready to swing their axe regardless of Liverpool's league placing or Champions League progress.