Next Premier League Manager to Leave Odds

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is the favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave their club.

Spurs form has been faltering since early December, as following their 2-0 victory over Arsenal on 2nd December which left them at the top of the table, they have since gone on a run that has seen them win just three times in their last 11 league matches. As a result of this poor form, they currently sit in ninth place in the table, six points off the top four with a whole host of clubs in front of them in the standings.

The minimum expectations from Tottenham fans after last season’s poor showing which saw Mourinho replace fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino following the Argentinian’s poor start to the season would’ve been to see their side qualify for the Champions League, preferably via the league as their squad is of good quality and contains world-class players such as Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.

At present, it looks as though Mourinho may end up targeting the same objectives as he did when he was in charge of Manchester United in 2016/17, which was the League Cup and Europa League, having guided Spurs to the Carabao Cup final at Wembley this April where they face Manchester City. The latter of the two competitions initially mentioned would be a high-risk strategy, as he is essentially relying on a team that hasn’t got any serial winners in it to bring back a major European trophy.

Next on this list is Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. So far this season the champions have had a staggering drop off in form, which many believe is down to long-term injuries to their three first-choice centre-backs Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip who are all ruled out till the end of the season.

However, the Anfield club were top of the Premier League up until Manchester United beat Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor, following the champions 1-0 defeat at Southampton on 4th January. Klopp’s excuses have mounted up in the last couple of months, as he has blamed many things such as the number of penalties that Manchester United have had, despite the Red Devils only having one more than them this season.

The German looks like a man under pressure having only seen his side win two of their last ten matches in the Premier League, which has dragged the Anfield club from a title race, into the battle for top four, as they are currently sixth in the table, behind the likes of West Ham United.

The former Borussia Dortmund manager knows that it will be a significant regression from his side if they fail to even qualify for next season’s Champions League. It is more likely that he would leave on his own terms as he did at Dortmund than being sacked, due to the legacy that he has at Liverpool as he managed them to a sixth Champions League trophy in 2019, as well as a first league title in 30 years.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is under huge pressure at Selhurst Park.

The former England manager’s contract runs out at the end of the current campaign, and with the Eagles winning just three of their last 13 league matches, many feel as though it may be advantageous for the club to switch their manager before the end of the season so that Hodgson’s successor can assess the squad in advance of the next campaign.

The likes of Frank Lampard and Eddie Howe have been linked to the Palace job as neither are employed by a club at this moment in time, as Lampard was sacked by Chelsea in January, whilst Howe left Bournemouth following their relegation from the Premier League last summer.

Next up is Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce. The former Sunderland coach wasn’t a popular choice at St James’ Park due to his connections with the Wearside club, as well as the fact that fans of the Magpies saw his appointment as a considerable downgrade on their previous manager Rafael Benitez.

Results and performances on the pitch haven’t improved Bruce’s stature among the Toon Army faithful, as alike Palace, they have also won just two of their last 13 league fixtures which has seen them drop down to 17th place, just six points above Fulham and are now in serious risk of being relegated for the third time in 12 years if results don’t improve.

The Final manager on this list is West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce. ‘Big Sam’ as he is often referred to has a proud record of having never been relegated from the Premier League, despite taking over several perilous positions at clubs such as Blackburn, Sunderland and most recently Crystal Palace.

It looks as though this season Allardyce may have his work cut out, due to the lack of quality in his squad, as well as the points deficit which the Baggies have to chase to 17th placed Newcastle, as they are 12 points adrift with 14 games remaining. Although the West Brom hierarchy could’ve perhaps expected a relegation battle at the start of the season due to the lack of backing they gave to initial manager Slaven Bilic, it is unlikely that Allardyce would stay with the club in the Championship.