Premier League Sack Race Odds: Three managers to keep an eye on

There’s been no shortage of slicing and dicing in the Premier League’s managerial coliseum so far this season, with three bosses departing their posts in what proved to be an event-filled opening five weeks.

First up was Scott Parker, who failed to make it through the month of August after Bournemouth dished out his P45 following that 9-0 bulldozing at Liverpool. The Cherries vacancy has still yet to be filled, although the sudden movements of Boro boss Chris Wilder caused a stir this week after his odds were slashed from 25/1 to the odds-on favourite. For now, caretaker Gary O'Neil remains at the helm, and is unbeaten after three games.

Thomas Tuchel joined Parker in the Job Centre a week later, bringing an end to an action-packed 18-month spell at Chelsea during which he won the club European and World honours.

Chelsea immediately set their sights on Graham Potter, who didn’t take much persuading to switch Premier League dugouts, while Roberto De Zerbi subsequently took a seat in the Brighton dugout.

As we prepare for the return of top-flight football this weekend, BettingOdds.com looks at three managers who we think are worth keeping an eye on in the Premier League Sack Race Odds... ​​

Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City)

There were a whirlwind of rumours that Brendan Rodgers wouldn’t make it out of September’s international break following a wretched start to the season during which he’s picked up one point from a possible 21. A six game losing streak, including back-to-back 5-2 and 6-2 defeats, certainly didn’t help his cause. 

Yet, for now at least, it appears that the rock-bottom Foxes have stuck by their FA Cup winning boss, with his odds gradually moving from a minoscule 1/6 to his current 6/4 pricing as a result.

But for how much longer? On paper, at least, Leicester have a pretty favourable run of upcoming matches against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Leeds, and Wolves. However, lose at home to East Midlands rivals - and fellow stuttering-starters - Forest when the MNF spotlight shines brightly, and the marriage will surely be annulled, even if that means Leicester have to dip into their pockets and shell out a reported £10m in compensation.

If Leicester do wield the axe on Rodgers, expect the club to target Brentford’s Thomas Frank - the current favourite in the odds below - but whether he would trade jobs right now is open to interpretation.

Ralph Hasenhuttl (Southampton)

While we’ve seen Rodgers’ odds for the chop ease a little, down on the south coast the fourth longest-serving manager in the Premier League, Ralph Hasenhuttl, has been backed into 9/4, having previously been out at 20/1.

Inconsistency has long been stapled to Hasenhuttl’s Southampton, who inexplicably switch from coruscating to hopeless. The club’s still relatively new owners, Sport Republic, trusted the Austrian with a huge summer overhaul, despite a woeful finale to last season which saw the Saints scrape one win from a dozen games.

The current campaign has been typically hit and miss. On the plus side, Saints have carved out wins over Chelsea and Leicester, but momentum and positivity were punctured by mind-numbing defeats to Wolves and Aston Villa; the latter has been widely mocked as one of the worst Premier League games ever.

There was even a remarkably damning statistic doing the rounds that Southampton had failed to win any of their last 103 away games in which they were losing at half-time.

The loyalty of the club’s hierarchy will be tested in the coming weeks when Saints face Everton, Man City and West Ham, although it’s the outcome of the south coast clash against Bournemouth (19th Oct) which could be key.

Eddie Howe (Newcastle)

There are a number of other Premier League managers feeling the heat right now due to underwhelming starts, so keep close tabs on the likes of Bruno Lage (8/1), Steve Cooper (9/1), David Moyes (10/1), and Steven Gerrard (14/1). However, one boss who commands attention at a huge price is Eddie Howe, who is 50/1 with BetVictor.

Now, on one hand, there’s no getting away from the transformative impact Howe has had at Newcastle. He’s been a breath of fresh air following the doom-and-gloom that plagued Steve Bruce‘s tenure, while the club’s turnaround last season saw Howe nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Year award. 

However, the fact of the matter is Newcastle have not won since the opening day of the season. They may be one of only two teams to prevent Man City from winning in that thrilling 3-3 draw but - with due respect - Wolves, Crystal Palace and most recently Bournemouth are clubs they ought to be beating should they wish to operate at the next level and orchestrate a top-6 challenge.

A failure to convert draws into wins isn’t yet a huge issue just yet, Newcastle have only been beaten once - in the 98th minute at Anfield -  and Howe remains a popular figure at St James’ Park. But should their winless run continue after the international break, then the club’s owners could avert their gaze to a certain figure in the Job Centre…Mauricio Pochettino, who remains out of work since leaving PSG in the summer.