Chris Wilder new favourite to become the next Swansea manager

It’s been an eventful week in Swansea City’s search for a new manager.

John Eustace turned the club down over the weekend, betting was then suspended on John Terry after he left Aston Villa, only for his former Chelsea teammate Jody Morris and MK Dons manager Russell Martin to take to the managerial stage in what appeared to be a two-horse race for the job.

Fast-forward to Thursday afternoon and there’s a new favourite in the betting.

Chris Wilder, the former Sheffield United manager, can now be backed at 9/4 (Bet Victor) which comes shortly after Sheffield United revealed that Wilder’s long-term assistant Alan Knill - a former Swansea player - had left the club by mutual consent. 

Make of that what you will!

While Martin and Morris both represent attractive options for a club who are no strangers to employing young coaches, Wilder’s experience and success are on another scale.

In the managerial arena since 2001, Wilder’s incredible journey has taken him from non-league to the Premier League. He has multiple promotions and league titles under his belt, and to be completely honest it’s a shock to us that he still remains out-of-work nearly six months after leaving his beloved Blades.

The 53-year-old did of course appear to be on the cusp of becoming the next West Brom manager earlier in the summer. The Baggies board and fanbase were keen, only for the club’s owner Guochuan Lai to bizarrely block an appointment. Valerien Ismael was then lured over to the Hawthorns from Barnsley.

Well, West Brom’s loss could be Swansea’s gain as the Welsh club look to make an appointment before their first game of the season against Blackburn, which is now just nine days away.

Swansea’s Championship title odds drifted from 12/1 to 20/1 in the aftermath of Steve Cooper’s exit last week, but if they can appoint Wilder then their promotion hopes will be given a huge boost; the last time he worked in the division he led Sheffield United to second spot ahead of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.

If Wilder does get the job then his first home match in charge of Swansea will be against...Sheffield United.

Wilder’s move to the top of the market means that both Martin and Morris are now priced at 11/4. Meanwhile, first team coach Alan Tate (10/3) had this to say about the job on Wednesday (quotes from BBCSport):

"I do feel as if I am ready to go into it, whether it's now, a few months' time or a few years' time. But it's not about me, it's about what's best for the club."

Check out the latest in the betting below...