Nottingham Forest next manager odds: Ange Postecoglu and ex-Man Utd boss among favouritesplaceholder image
Nottingham Forest next manager odds: Ange Postecoglu and ex-Man Utd boss among favourites | Getty Images
The bookmakers’ odds for the next Nottingham Forest manager suggest that Ange Postecoglou is the favourite - but there are alternatives.
Thousands of Nottingham Forest fans are waking up to the news that the club has sacked Nuno Espirito Santo following the breakdown of his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis, a decision announced just after midnight on Tuesday.
Santo and Marinakis had been set to hold clear-the-air talks after the Portuguese coach - who had previously criticised the club’s transfer policy - publicly admitted that their previously positive working relationship had collapsed. Clearly, those talks failed to achieve their aim, and as such Santo has been removed from his position.
Even as the club’s supporters process Marinakis’ decision to fire the club’s most successful coach in decades just months after he lead them into European competition, attention is already turning to Santo’s successor – and the bookies believe that clear favourite has emerged already.
Ange Postecoglou emerges as betting favourite for Nottingham Forest job
The Guardian are among media outlets reporting that former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou is already “in line” to replace Santo, just months after his own sacking by Spurs.
Under the Australian’s guidance, Spurs struggled in the Premier League but won the Europa League, their biggest piece of silverware since 1991 – but it’s his relationship with Marinakis which may be just as important as his track record.
Marinakis has praised Postecolgou in the past, describing his Europa League victory as a “huge success” which “promoted Greece” when presenting the coach, who was born in Athens, with an award over the summer.
Between the seemingly warm relationship between owner and manager and the fact that Postecoglou’s direct playing style should suit a squad built to Santo’s similar requirements, the former Spurs and Celtic boss has become an immediate favourite with the bookies, with early odds making him a 2/5 odds-on favourite with at least one major bookmaker.
Former Manchester United coach and Celtic boss among other options
While the bookmakers plainly believe that Postecoglou is the most likely man to succeed Santo at the City Ground, several other well-known managers have short odds to take the job.
José Mourinho, the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager who was recently sacked by Turkish side Fenerbahçe, is second favourite with most bookies at odds of around 4/1, while several current Premier League managers follow him in the betting, including Fulham coach Marco Silva and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, with reports suggesting that the latter’s own relationship with his board has become strained after the summer transfer window.
Other coaches seen to be realistic shouts for the Nottingham Forest job include another ex-Spurs coach in the shape of Mauricio Pochettino, who is struggling in his role as United States manager, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
The full list of coaches with odds of 20/1 or better with at least one major bookmaker is as follows:
Ange Postecoglou - 2/5 favourite
José Mourinho - 4/1
Marco Silva - 8/1
Oliver Glasner - 14/1
Andoni Iraola - 16/1
Mauricio Pochettino - 16/1
Brendan Rodgers - 20/1
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