Next Derby Manager
Unsurprisingly given the amount of time that passed between rumours surfacing of Steve McClaren being sacked and the announcement being made, Derby appear to have a plan in place – and it seems a pretty impressive one too.
The Rams are expected to appoint former Real Madrid assistant (and man of a thousand links to Premier League mid-table clubs throughout 2014/15) Paul Clement, who is the [1.18] frontrunner.
Though it is always risky to hire someone with no experience as a number one, there aren’t many English tacticians willing to work at Championship level who have been mentored by Carlo Ancelotti, coached at Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid and been part of Premier League, Ligue 1 and Champions League-winning setups. The prior top-tier interest in him is also an encouraging sign.
Next Real Madrid Manager
All the insiders are pretty adamant that Rafael Benitez will be confirmed as Real Madrid boss shortly after he finishes up with Napoli next weekend, and odds of [1.15] reflect this confidence.
The 55-year-old used to be in charge of the ten-time European champions’ B team in the 1990s and his previous success in La Liga and the Champions League ensures that his name is always brought up when there is a vacancy at the Bernabeu.
The criticism this time is that his recent form doesn’t warrant the opportunity, with Napoli enduring a poor campaign in which they exited the Champions League before the group stage and have never challenged Juventus in Serie A. However, a [2.16]-rated win over Lazio on Sunday will unexpectedly salvage a scarcely deserved Champions League qualifying round from the disappointment.
Next Sunderland Manager
The perception is that the Sunderland job is Dick Advocaat’s permanently if he wants it having guided them to Premier League survival, but the veteran Dutch coach has yet to confirm his plans.
Odds of [1.54] show that he is considered more likely to extend his stay on Wearside – reportedly against his family’s wishes – than to retire from football on a guaranteed high.
If the 67-year-old walks away, the two leading candidates to replace him are Englishmen who were made available in the past 72 hours. Former West Ham chief Sam Allardyce is [8.0] to take the fifth Premier League position of his career, while discarded Derby boss McClaren is [13.0] to return to the division after nine years away.
Next West Ham Manager
To the relief of those concerned that Slaven Bilic has been sacked from the only two permanent club roles of his managerial lifespan by Lokomotiv Moscow and Besiktas, this is no longer a one-man market.
The England-conquering former Croatia gaffer remains a clear favourite at [2.28], but that is still a noticeable drift given that over £7,000 was staked on him at 1.5 previously.
There are three co-second favourites at [10.5] in Roberto Di Matteo, who has exited Schalke after less than a season in Germany, David Moyes, who has asserted that he has no intention of leaving Real Sociedad and Unai Emery, who is [1.32] to retain the Europa League with Sevilla on Wednesday.
A popular name with fans is Marcelo Bielsa; however he is a [21.0] outsider despite the uncertainty surrounding his Marseille future.
