First Manager Sacked in the 2020/21 Premier League Season Odds

The 2019/20 season has only just finished, but the new year is right around the corner. Whilst some managers like Frank Lampard and Chris Wilder defy expectations, others cave to them and face early pressure for their job and sometimes, the sack.

The Premier League is without question the most competitive league amongst the top leagues in world football, with so much value and participation adding to the excruciating pressure. Each season, managers up and down the board are sacked for very little, sometimes with no justification at all.

One of the modern greats in Mauricio Pochettino, three men at Watford, a Premier winner in Manuel Pellegrini all faced the axe this year. Here, we take a look at who could be the first manager to get sacked in the 2020/21 Premier League season and the Premier League manager odds.

Jose Mourinho took over at Tottenham Hotspur following the collapse of Pochettino early in the season, despite getting the club to the Champions League final just a few months prior to his dismissal. Ever since, the ex-Manchester Untied boss has struggled to get to grips with the Spurs squad due to a lengthy injury list, which saw star player like Dele Alli and Harry Kane miss most of the season.

The north London side would eventually finish sixth and although this was a vast improvement on the 14th place left by Pochettino, it's still far from what is expected at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Now, with no Champions League football and the slug of the Europa League to come, Mourinho is up against it to prove his worth at the club, despite being in charge for 10 months when the new season comes around.

It's simple these days with Spurs: get Champions League football. Anything else is a concern, as Pochettino found out, likewise with Tim Sherwood prior to that. If Mourinho can't cement a promising fight early on, he could be gone.

His odds to be the first Premier League manager to be sacked next season are relatively large though. SkyBet have him down at 14/1, with seven names being placed before him.

David Moyes deserves some recognition after managing West Ham United to Premier League survival, after a four-game undefeated run to close the campaign. However, just one year ago, the Hammers were making noise in the transfer market, getting close to the Europa League at the start of the last campaign and they finally started to look a promising side.

However, with another relegation fight this year Moyes is under threat for the second time as West Ham boss. If the club find themselves in a familiar position towards the bottom of the table soon into the new season, Moyes will no doubt be sent packing from the Premier League side yet again.

The bookmaker have recognised this factor, making him the favourite in the first to be sacked market. His price of 5/1 is the shortest on the list, not that this will come as a surprise to many readers.

As far as Dean Smith is aware, he's done the job at Aston Villa by earning Premier League promotion and staying in the top-flight.

The 49-year-old looked like facing the drop for most of the season but wins against Arsenal, a League Cup final and a dramatic race on the final day ultimately marked a progressive season for Villa.

No doubt, however, Smith will be under pressure to try and move the club forward in 2020/21 – a tall feat given the unknown status of star player Jack Grealish. It does look as if the Englishman will depart and if he is sold, Smith will have some funds to enter the market for new talent and whoever he buys could define his season.

It is almost a cert that Smith must comfortably keep Villa up next season, or face serious questions from the board. Simply put, Villa are too big to be flirting with the Championship once more.

The Englishman has odds of 9/1 to be the first PL manager out the door.

It's been a tough season for Steve Bruce in what is his debut campaign for a club he loves so much. For much of the season, the ex-Sunderland boss was bombarded about the potential sale of Newcastle United, which ultimately questioned his worth at the club if they found themselves with a dramatic windfall.

However, with the sale of the club falling through, Bruce will likely stay on for the start of the season, but unless there are improvements, he too could face the axe. The club did finish 13th, 10 points above the drop zone, but this is far from enough for a club of their size and both Bruce and Mike Ashley know it.

Newcastle were in abysmal form to close out the season, losing four of their last five games. If they carry this form into 2020/21, do not expect Bruce to be around at Christmas.

Pressure mounts quickly at St James Park, making Bruce's odds of 8/1 fairy generous. The Englishman has a very limited squad and resources to work with, and if others strengthen, the Toon Army could get left behind. Unfortunately though, it would be the manager to pay the price, as opposed to the leader at the top.

Rodgers and Leicester City had a sensational season last year, occupying a coveted place in the Champions League for much of the campaign, but this dramatically fell through towards the end.

In fact, Leicester’s collapse from unlikely title challengers to sorry Europa League qualifiers has been nothing short of startling. Since New Year’s Day, Leicester have won just four of 14 Premier League games and lost a 'play-off' style battle against United on the final day of the season, which told the tale of 2020 for Leicester.

The Foxes fell from such a sure position in the Champions League, where they were 14 points clear of United, to missing out thanks to shambolic form. Leicester would have been thrilled with a fifth-place finish going into last season, but given how it played out, this was an awful collapse.

No doubt Rodgers will stick around for most of the season, but unless the club builds on from this season, he could be in real trouble. Should their form not pick up, questions will be asked.

Given such context, his odds of 16/1 may draw a few eyes.

Roy Hodgson has been getting an awful lot of stick from Crystal Palace fans, but it isn't quite justified in the grand scheme of things. Simply put, the club are not necessarily top-flight regulars and they have faced the drop plenty of times since 1992, but the Englishman has comfortably kept them up during his tenure.

In fact, the inaugural season in the Premier League saw them relegated, and they returned a year later, only to be relegated once more. They have since been relegated twice more and when they rejoined the first tier in 2014, mid-table finishes and narrow relegation escapes became the norm.

Now, with a 14th placed finish, Hodgson seems to be on his last legs, unless change comes at Selhurst Park. However, considering this finish is not much different to any other season, it's fair to say the Eagles need him to stay up and he may stick around based off of that alone.

Palace are often fighting relegation and sacking a proven manager could be a terrible idea, but one in which the fan base seem satisfied with. If the club doesn't edge closer to the top 10, Hogdson could be the first to go.

He is the second favourite with SkyBet at 6/1.

It's a common narrative that the newly promoted clubs will struggle, with the jump from the Championship to the Premier League often serving as a tricky task.

This isn't being pushed for Leeds United though, with many predicted them to survive comfortably. It will certainly be exciting to see the eccentric Marcelo Bielsa in the top-flight, but will it really be plain-sailing? All eyes will be on the Whites, after their 16 year absence from the division.

The weighted pressure could no doubt take its toll, but the club are likely to stick with their man through thick and thin. SkyBet have odds of 12/1 for Bielsa to leave first.

Scott Parker has slightly shorter odds at 11/1, with Slaven Bilic being given a surprise price at 14/1. Pundits have predicted West Brom to struggle next season, so his name could be one to watch in this market.