Aston Villa appear to be wasting little time looking for a successor to Tim Sherwood, who was sacked by the club on Sunday following a seventh straight Premier League defeat.
Villa are currently bottom of the table but there have been no shortage of managers and ex-players prepared to put their names forward for the post.
Remi Garde is currently top of the short-list, according to some sources. The ex-Arsenal midfielder, who had talks with Newcastle United last year, is ready to take up a managerial role again having taken a break since leaving Olympique Lyonnaise in 2014.
Garde is a respected tactician and has a reputation for developing young players so would be an attractive proposition for Villa. But word of their interest has leaked out and most bookmakers have the Frenchman at odds-on to be Next Aston Villa Manager.
Coral are currently the biggest price on a Garde appointment at 8/15 but he is by no means the only man to have attracted the interest of punters. Real Sociedad head coach David Moyes is only 7/2 with the same firm but the former Everton and Manchester United boss can be backed at twice those odds in other places. Nigel Pearson is 12/1 while former Aston Villa player Dwight Yorke has thrown his hat into the ring.
Yorke has no managerial experience and is 50/1 in most lists but makes the point that people with experience have had a go to revive Aston Villa’s fortunes and struggled to make an impact. The former Manchester United striker still has close links with Villa and knows the club inside and out. Unfortunately, the Midlanders need both a quick fix and a long-term strategy and it’s most unlikely to club’s owners would take a gamble on an unproven manager.
After yet another defeat at West Ham on Saturday, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is only 23/10 with 888sport to be the Next Premier League Manager To Leave His Post. Mourinho was also sent to the stands at the weekend as the stuttering champions finished the game with 10 men following the first-half dismissal of Nemanja Matic.
But Newcastle’s Steve McLaren continues to head this market at 11/10 having seen his side crushed by Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby. Newcastle have still only managed one victory so far this season.
Next Premier League Manager To Leave His Post
11/10 Steve McClaren, 23/10 Jose Mourinho, 9/1 Garry Monk, 14/1 Eddie Howe, 16/1 Alex Neill
