Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti lead the list of available managers

When a board takes the decision to sack a manager, it's merely the start of a process. The next step -- finding a replacement -- is the trickier part of the job and often determines whether the initial sacking was the correct decision.

Premier League chairman might consider the story of Wolves in 2011-12. They dismissed Mick McCarthy in February, announced they were looking for an experienced replacement and then realised they couldn't lure anyone appropriate.

Eventually they appointed McCarthy's assistant Terry Connor, who didn't even want the job. Results got worse and they went down. If they couldn't find anyone better, they should have just kept McCarthy.

For 2015-16, though, there are an unusual number of unemployed top-level managers, offering ready-made solutions for clubs looking to make a change. Here are five who would provide real excitement in the Premier League, as well as five more familiar faces, who are more likely appointments.

Carlo Ancelotti

Ancelotti is now regarded as the obvious solution for big clubs demanding immediate results. Three league titles in three countries is the headline figure, and he's also a three-time European Cup winner too. There are question marks about whether he's truly achieved at any major club, but Ancelotti is a hugely respected, statesmanlike manager.

Ancelotti's biggest quality is simple: he gets along with star players. It's difficult to remember any high-profile disagreements with key men, or any reports the Italian was struggling to motivate his team collectively.

He is, put simply, a likeable man, who has learned to work with demanding owners -- Silvio Berlusconi (Milan) and Roman Abramovich (Chelsea) -- and presidents -- Florentino Perez (Real Madrid).

Premier League clubs, however, might have to wait, as Ancelotti has indicated he wants a year out of football to have surgery because of his cervical stenosis problem. When he does make himself available he won't be short of suitors, with top Italian clubs as well as English sides interested in his services. Milan, for example, would love him to return.

Ancelotti seems most suited to Manchester City, a club boasting lots of big-name players and desperate to improve their Champions League results, having won the Premier League twice. Ancelotti ticks all those boxes.

Jurgen Klopp

Dortmund had a nightmare in the Bundesliga last season, but the side Klopp built between 2010 and 2013 remains one of the most impressive, organised and cohesive teams Europe has seen in recent years, so it's no wonder so many big clubs are still interested in his signature.

An astute tactician and a capable man-manager too, the high-tempo football Dortmund demonstrated over the past seven years would work excellently in the Premier League. Klopp has also shown a willingness to work with youngsters, and has developed less talented players, providing them with the confidence and intelligence to play crucial roles in title-winning sides.

Klopp, like Ancelotti, has indicated he wants to spend a period of time away from football, although whereas the Italian has a serious medical concern, the German merely wants to recharge his batteries. It's impossible to know how long that will take and it's not difficult to imagine him being tempted back into the game with a large contract offer.

He's been consistently linked with Liverpool, and while it feels the Reds could be punching above their weight in that respect, this could be an ideal time for them to pounce. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are highly unlikely to change manager next season, so if Klopp wants a Premier League move in the short term, Liverpool or Manchester City are his likeliest destinations.

Cesare Prandelli

Having built a reputation as an extremely talented coach over the previous decade, 2014 was a disastrous year for Prandelli. First his Italy side disappointed at the World Cup, exiting at the group stage, which prompted his departure after four years.

Then, he surprisingly took the Galatasaray job and lasted just 16 games. His performance in the Turkish league wasn't bad, but the Istanbul club were thrashed by Arsenal and Dortmund in the Champions League.

Prandelli's major shortcoming is simple: he's never won a major trophy. However, that's an overly simplistic way of assessing his career -- he achieved promotion from Serie B with two different clubs, consistently overachieved with both Parma and Fiorentina and impressed during his first three years as Italy manager, reaching the Euro 2012 final. Still, it's questionable whether he has the ruthless winning mentality required for a top club.

Prandelli is comparable to Arsene Wenger, in that he is an unassuming father figure who likes creative, attacking players and good, open football. He became more of a tactician during his period with the Italian national side, although he was prone to experiment too much and that was arguably his downfall at Galatasaray.

He would suit a club like Tottenham, an upper-mid-table team trying to play good football with a long-term hope of breaking into the Champions League places.

Vincenzo Montella

Montella's dramatic departure from Fiorentina came after three positive years and wasn't about lack of performance; more the board's frustration with his unwillingness to commit his long-term future to the club. For his part, Montella appeared frustrated with the board's lack of ambition.

While an inexperienced coach, Montella has serious potential and his performance at Fiorentina was remarkable. He took over a club who had been struggling near the relegation zone in the previous campaign, oversaw an 80 percent turnover in playing staff -- recruiting as many playmakers as possible -- and created arguably the most attractive side in Serie A, while leading the club to three consecutive fourth-placed finishes.

A manager who focuses upon attack, Montella is also a canny tactician, who regularly switches formation according to the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. In that respect he's comparable to Pep Guardiola and, like the Bayern Munich coach, retains an air of professionalism and attempts to avoid unnecessary squabbles.

Montella had a brief spell as a player with Fulham in 2007 and might consider a return to England, although another Italian club seems more likely.

Luciano Spalletti

Spalletti gained fans across Europe with the free-flowing, strikerless system he implemented at Roma between 2005-09, although they never truly felt like genuine title contenders. Still, he subsequently tasted success at Zenit with two straight titles, and therefore could appeal to top clubs.

An excellent tactician who creates teams which are simultaneously fluid and organised, Spalletti's style of football would be popular, even if there's often an emphasis upon counterattacking. His use of Francesco Totti and Aleksandr Kerzhakov has been interesting; both have helped popularise the "false nine" role by peeling away from opposition defenders.

Spalletti might encounter problems when prospective employers assess the poor runs that prompted the end of his spells at both Roma and Zenit, however, particularly considering Claudio Ranieri and Andre Villas-Boas -- two managers who don't have a great reputation in England -- improved those sides immediately after taking charge. His lack of English would also be an issue.

Still, he'd be an interesting outside choice for a top club. Wenger is unlikely to leave Arsenal any time soon, but you can imagine Spalletti at the Emirates if the unthinkable happened, while Chelsea and Tottenham have previously been linked with him.