Ole Gunnar Solskjaer new favourite for the sack after Steve Bruce exits Newcastle
October has so far proved to be a damaging month for Premier League managers.
Two of this season’s starting 20 have been ditched in the last few weeks, and more managerial casualties could soon follow.
Watford, shock, were the first Premier League club to make a change when they traded youth (Xisco Munoz) for experience (Claudio Ranieri) in the aftermath of a 1-0 defeat to Leeds.
The demand for instant success in the Hornets director’s box means that Ranieri must somehow negotiate his way through a daunting opening sequence of fixtures, otherwise he too could soon be in trouble. His first game just so happened to be his heaviest ever Premier League defeat - 0-5 at home to Liverpool - with the former title winner now priced at 6/1 to be the third victim of this season’s Sack Race.
Newcastle followed suit on Wednesday following days of deliberation as the club’s new owners terminated the contract of Steve Bruce. Whether we’ll see the 60-year-old back in the Premier League dugout sometime in the future remains to be seen.
The Magpies are now in the process of creating a managerial shortlist which is sure to feature a catalogue of high-profile names. The betting currently shows Paulo Fonseca, Lucien Favre, and Eddie Howe as the favourites for the new vacancy.
So, that’s two managers down, who could be next on the dreaded chopping block?
All is far from plain sailing at Man Utd following the triple-whammy of poor performances, disappointing results, and a sudden mini-injury crisis.
It's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who has subsequently been installed as the new favourite for the chop at 2/1 with Bet Victor in the aftermath of Bruce's exit.
The Man Utd manager has come under-fire following a wretched run of four defeats in seven games, including a 4-2 loss at Leicester in their last fixture.
The pressure is on the Norwegian ahead of an important run of games against Atalanta (twice), Liverpool, Spurs, Man City, and later Chelsea, but he does crucially retain the support of the hierarchy - for now - so with that in mind there may be better value elsewhere...
Ranieri's horrible run of fixtures means we simply can't rule him out at 6/1, despite the Italian only just rocking up at Vicarage Road.
Daniel Farke, 10/1, has a few things going in his favour: He has the cushion of two Championship titles in the bank, he’s popular with most fans, and the club’s hierarchy are patient people.
But, the German desperately needs results, and soon. He’s scraped only five wins from 46 matches as a Premier League manager and has just two points on the board so far this season, albeit those draws have come in the last two games so there have been improvements.
However, if he’s still winless by the time the final whistle toots after their home clash against Southampton (20th November) then the marriage could well be over.
Football Insider recently reported recently that Southampton players expected Ralph Hasenhuttl, 12/1, to be sacked in the upcoming weeks, while the English duo of Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard currently feature as prominent candidates in the next Southampton manager market.
Up until the weekend the Austrian had suffered a winless start to the season - and in truth a pretty horrific 2021 all round - but the tide could well be turning for the Saints who put in a very accomplished performance in a much-needed 1-0 win over Leeds. They’ll now look to build on the victory against Burnley and Watford, if they don’t then Hasenhuttl will be under the microscope once more.
Arsenal endured a pointless opening August which left his side 20th in the table, only for Arteta to then inspire a complete turnaround in September as three wins on the trot bagged him the Manager of the Month award.
The pieces looked to have been starting to fit together ahead of a reasonable run of fixtures, but their last two results coupled with November trips to Liverpool and Man Utd could see the pressure boom back with a bang. The Gunners boss could have a few takers at 16/1.
Dean Smith’s Aston Villa somehow threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Wolves meaning they’ve suffered back-to-back defeats and dropped to 12th. There’s not too much to really worry about so far, but they do have a couple of thorny games up next against Arsenal and West Ham, so the 14/1 priced Smith is worth paying attention to.
Nuno Santo, 20/1, secured an important win over Aston Villa before the break and followed this up with a 3-2 triumph at Newcastle to move Spurs up to 5th. It’s fair to say that the Portuguese coach has yet to fully convince fans that he’s the right manager for Tottenham, however he definitely deserves time to prove himself.
Future defeats and underwhelming performances will undoubtedly be greeted with criticism, yet a departure before Christmas still seems unlikely, that’s unless Nuno endures an absolute stinker over the course of the next couple of months.
Brendan Rodgers has once again been linked with another Premier League club - this time Newcastle - however, he swiftly came out and rubbished reports. Rodgers is fully invested in the Leicester project and he’ll hope the big win over Man Utd has got the Foxes back on track following an inconsistent start to the season. To be frank, he's a very poor price at 10/1.
Marcelo Bielsa’s (20/1) Leeds have struggled with injuries and a loss of form this season, but there’s no chance he’s leaving anytime soon...is there?
Full odds below...
