Next QPR Manager Odds: Jokanovic, Farke, Dyche, Eustace, Ainsworth all linked

QPR have started the search for a new manager after the club revealed that incumbent Mark Warburton will vacate his position at the end of the season when his contract expires.

Appointed three years ago as the replacement to Steve McClaren, Warburton improved the club’s finishing position by six places in his first season (13th), then last term oversaw the club’s highest Championship standing (9th) since the promotion-winning 2013/14 campaign.

Warburton then had his troops in the play-off picture this season, yet a sudden and now prolonged collapse in form - 10 defeats in 15 matches - has seen them drop down to 10th, six points adrift with two games to go: against Sheffield United and Swansea.

While Warburton will be more disappointed than anyone at the manner in which QPR have tailed off in the last few months, on the whole he can look back on his tenure with pride at how he progressed the club forward; both stylistically and their position in table. He will now leave as the club’s longest-serving manager since Ian Holloway (2001 to 2006).

CEO Lee Hoos said: “In his three years, he has helped the club establish a style of play and a DNA for which we are hugely grateful."

Chairman Amit Bhatia added: “Mark has undoubtedly moved the club forward from one that was in the bottom half of the Championship table to one that challenged for a play-off place. He leaves the club in a better and stronger position than when he arrived, and I’m incredibly grateful to him.

"As we look to continue that progress, we must now make sure we build on these positive steps.”

QPR Director of Football Les Ferdinand has revealed that the search for Warburton’s successor is already underway as they bid to find a manager “who will build on the style of play we have at QPR.”

The next QPR manager odds will fluctuate in the first few days but at the time of writing Slavisa Jokanovic, Sean Dyche, and Daniel Farke feature as the early favourites in the betting - scroll down for full odds.

All three managers are available for hire, all three have multiple promotions to the Premier League on their CVs, and all three would represent high-profile appointments.

Chris Hughton, 12/1, is another out-of-work manager with a history of getting teams into the top-flight, although his last stint at Nottingham Forest ended in disaster, with Steve Cooper since picking up the pieces and completely transforming the club’s fortunes. 

Slaven Bilic, Jonathan Woodgate, and Mick McCarthy are also unattached right now, while Roy Hodgson is expected to leave Watford at the end of the season.

It’s no surprise to see former QPR player and caretaker manager Gareth Ainsworth, in charge of Wycombe since 2012, linked at around the 10/1 mark.

Carlos Carvalhal, who previously led Sheff Wed to two play-off finishes, is set to leave current club Braga at the end of the season when his contract expires and has already been linked with the likes of Burnley and Reading. 

Could QPR look to a talented young coach working in the EFL, such as Liam Manning at MK Dons, Michael Duff (Cheltenham), Mark Bonner (Cambridge), or Rob Edwards at Forest Green Rovers?

Neil Critchley has done a fantastic job at Blackpool, but would he swap Championship jobs?

Or could they look to within? John Eustace, who turned down the Swansea job last summer, has impressed in his position as assistant manager. He knows the squad inside out, will develop young players, and is likely to have ambitions of stepping up into the top job (5/1). Would be a lot cheaper than other names too.

Scroll down for the full next QPR Manager odds market...