Three managers to keep an eye on in the Premier League Sack Race

It's strange to speculate on the future of a Premier League manager before the season has even kicked-off, but a lot can change in a short period of time when it comes to the 'Next manager to leave market'.

Most of the 20 incumbents preparing for the upcoming campaign may appear safe and secure right now, yet a few dodgy results in August/September could see the narrative change completely.

We've already looked at the early odds on every top-flight boss in the Premier League Sack Race 2022/23 - which you can read just below - and now in this piece we've taken a more in-depth focus on a trio of varying managers who are well worth keeping an eye on during the opening months of the season...

The Favourite: Ralph Hasenhuttl

It’s not too much of a shock to see Ralph Hasenhuttl (6/1) located in the upper echelon of the market.

Not only did his Southampton side endure a torrid final few months last season - 9 defeats in 12 - but they’ve been handed a difficult opening six fixtures in 2022/23, including clashes against Spurs, Chelsea, Man Utd and Leicester.

The Saints don’t tend to shoot out of the blocks either. Last season they didn’t claim their first win until their eighth game, and in 2019/20 they registered just two wins from their opening 14.

This time around, you get the feeling Hasenhuttl needs results on the board early.

At their peak, Southampton can be absolutely brilliant under the Austrian; an affable and passionate manager. Their high-energy, high-press approach can at times suffocate and startle even the very best, but too often they run out of steam. Few teams drop as many points as the Hampshire outfit.

They are also extremely streaky. Purple patches are nearly always punctured by prolonged poor pockets of form.

There's already been changes made in Hasenhuttl's coaching staff, now he will be hoping the club's new majority owners Sport Republic give him some cash to play with: he needs a high-quality striker and centre-back, and a player who can create and inspire. Otherwise he'll need to revitalise his current crop who looked well below par in the closing periods of last season. This is, after all, a manager that's survived not one but two 9-0 drubbings...

The Value Bet: Bruno Lage

We think Bruno Lage offers a little snippet of value at 14/1 for a number of reasons.

1. Wolves ended last season poorly. The meek manner in which they ​​flopped out of contention for the European places was a huge disappointment; going winless in their last seven games, losing nine of their last 14.
    
2. Goals. Or a severe lack of them. Unless your team is consistently getting results, a lack of goalmouth action isn’t going to endear a manager to many fans. Lage needs to crack that goalscoring formula - his Benfica side scored a whopping 103 goals during their title win - as 38 goals in 38 games was a pretty meagre tally last term; scoring more than one goal in just 12 games.
    
3. Wolves have actually been handed a reasonable start. Spurs are the only top-10 team from last season that they face in their opening six games. So it could go one of two ways: they get results on the board early, or they flatter to deceive. If it’s the latter Lage’s side then face a daunting double-header against Liverpool and Man City, followed by West Ham and Chelsea.

The Outside Bet: Thomas Tuchel

At this stage, bookmakers appear split on Thomas Tuchel. On one hand the Chelsea manager is a single-figure price (9/1 with Paddy Power & Betfair), then with BetVictor he's out at 25/1. This reflects the uncertainty and confusion surrounding Chelsea.

Let's get this bit out of the way first. Tuchel is quite simply a brilliant manager who has already achieved so much at the helm of the Blues, including European and World glory.

But at Chelsea you never really know what's going to happen next. Over the years they've been extremely successful despite a high turnover of managers. They now enter into a new era without Roman Abramovich pulling the strings, so naturally there's a cloud of unpredictability hovering over the Bridge: a change in ownership brings its complications, Todd Boehly will have his own ideas on the way the club is run, who stays, and who goes.

Speaking of which, Tuchel could also be set to lose most of his defence. Rudiger has departed - a huge loss - Christensen has left, whereas Azpilicueta and Alonso are being linked with moves away. Then there's speculation surrounding the future of £100m Lukaku, which continues to drag on and on. A power struggle could well ensue.

If Tuchel doesn't get his way in the transfer market then frustrations could boil over into the new season. It could be more of a case of Tuchel growing restless and walking away.

Bonus Bet: If you're after a real outsider then Eddie Howe is a big price at 33/1. He's rightly cream of the crop at the Toon right now but if his side stutter out of the blocks then could their owners pull the plug? Alternatively, 40/1 shot Steven Gerrard needs to step it up this season as free-spending Aston Villa target the European places.

Full odds below...