With the new Premier League season just around the corner, an interesting market to look at is the First Premier League Manager to Leave one. This list contains a combination of managers who finished last season under pressure, new managers and managers who are reportedly at odds with their owners. Below you can see the Sky Bet odds available on the First Premier League Manager to Leave market;
As you can see from the list, Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez is currently viewed as the most likely first manager to leave his post at odds of 4/1. It is important to note that it is First Premier League Manager to Leave, meaning the manager can resign, they do not have to be sacked. Rafael Benitez is highly unlikely to be sacked as Newcastle United manager following his impressive decision to stay with the club after they were relegated to the Championship, but there have been a number of rumours around that he may resign. Benitez has been at odds with the board during the summer months over a lack of transfer activity and that is the reason he has been installed at odds of 4/1 to be the first man to leave his post.
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is the joint favourite at 4/1 after suffering a difficult season with the club last time around. It was somewhat surprising that Hughes wasn’t relieved of his duties as Stoke City manager at the end of the last campaign and if he starts poorly this time around he may face the axe sooner rather than later.
Another man who finished last season under pressure was Slaven Bilic at West Ham United. Bilic had previously led the club to a 7th placed finish, just four points off a Champions League qualification place, but last season the club finished down in 11th place, a whopping 31 points away from the Champions League places. Last season’s struggles have seen Bilic installed as the second favourite to leave his post with odds of 6/1. The club appear to have spent wisely this summer though bringing in Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez thus far, but if Bilic does not start well then the West Ham United owners will surely think it’s time to give someone else a chance at the helm.
Last season’s Premier League winner Antonio Conte is, perhaps surprisingly, the joint fourth favourite to leave his post at odds of 10/1. He has been at odds with Roman Abramovich and the rest of the board in both his summers at the club, due to a perceived lack of success in the transfer market. So far this summer Conte has seen the club miss out on both Romelu Lukaku and Danilo as the board have failed to secure his primary targets. There are a number of rumours around that Conte could resign from his post and return to Italy if he does not get in the players that he wants before the end of the window.
Down at the other end of the list, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is rated as the most secure in his post with odds of 66/1, whilst if you think that no manager will leave their post this season, you can get odds of 100/1 on it.
Looking at the odds and considering their recent records, I think Mark Hughes has to be the most likely man to bite the bullet early on this season. Stoke City’s summer transfer business has been uninspiring so far and they have lost one of the star players in Marko Arnautovic. Therefore, I think the odds of 4/1 on Hughes to be the first man to go look like a solid bet.