Next Newcastle United Manager Odds: Who Could Replace Eddie Howe?
Newcastle United were one of the huge success stories of last season, but following their Champions League exit and four successive defeats in the league, there have been rumblings on Tyneside about manager Eddie Howe possibly being replaced.
With the Magpies sitting in 10th place in the Premier League, some of the St. James' Park faithful believe Howe may have taken Newcastle as far as he can - and there has been plenty of movement on betting sites about who could replace him.
Howe exceeded expectations last season, guiding his side to a fourth place finish and securing Champions League football.
This season, they started their European campaign brightly with a hard-fought draw at AC Milan and a scintillating 4-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain, before the Magpies suffered three defeats in their final four games to leave them bottom of their group.
Just 10 days after their Champions League departure, Newcastle travelled to Luton Town in the Premier League and lost 1-0.
They followed that up with a 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day, as their former forward Chris Wood came back to haunt them by hitting a hat-trick in response to Newcastle taking a 1-0 lead.
That was followed by a 4-2 loss to table-toppers Liverpool away at Anfield in which the scoreline overly flattered Howe's men, as their goal was battered throughout the 90 or so minutes.
The Magpies looked set to pick up their first points of the new year against Manchester City in their most recent match, until Oscar Bobb rounded Martin Dubravka in the 91st minute to steal all three points and leave Newcastle with 0 points from the last 12 available.
Injuries have hit Howe's side hard this season, with the likes of Nick Pope, Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock all sidelined. Meanwhile, their big summer signing, Italian international Sandro Tonali, is suspended for 10 months following gambling breaches.
Despite this, some have questioned Howe in recent weeks, and should he be axed from his position there will be no shortage of managers attracted to the job.
Backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Newcastle spent around £130m over the summer, and there is likely to be further funds available next summer - but which manager could take over the Toon?
The Special One's Return Or The New Kid On The Block?
It has been just over two-and-a-half years since Jose Mourinho was last in the Premier League at Tottenham Hotspur, and he is clear favourite on football betting sites to takeover on Tyneside should Howe depart.
Mourinho was relieved of his position at the helm of AS Roma recently, after a lacklustre first half of the season, with the club sat mid-table in the Serie A.
Things weren't running smoothly for Jose, as Roma won just one of his last six league matches in charge, and his availability has now seen him emerge as a serious contender to become the next Newcastle manager.
It wasn't all doom for Jose at Roma, though, as he ended their 11-year trophy drought by winning the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, becoming the first manager to win a major European competition with four clubs.
While Mourinho's football on the pitch hasn't always been a big plus for fans - just ask Spurs supporters - he has been responsible for adding to trophy cabinets at several clubs.
Aside from the Championship title in 2017 and an Intertoto Cup in 2006, Newcastle haven't landed a major trophy since 1955.
Should Mourinho join the club it would be regarded as a fairy-tale appointment by some fans due to his links with his late mentor Sir Bobby Robson, whose final managerial job was at his boyhood club Newcastle from 1999 to 2004.
Having been available at odds of 3/1 earlier in the month, Mourinho is now the 6/4 favourite to land the Newcastle job should Howe go, but he could face stiff competition for the role from an unlikely source.
Michel Sanchez, may not be a familiar name to supporters of the English game, but he is enjoying a miracle season in charge of Girona.
The Catalonian outfit have spent more seasons in the Spanish second tier than the top-flight over the past decade, but Michel's side currently find themselves a point clear at the summit of La Liga.
Girona are eight points clear of Barcelona and 11 of Atletico Madrid, so it's no wonder Michel has reportedly caught the eye of the Newcastle board.
That has forced firms to cut his price from the 10/1 odds he was, right in to 2/1 currently.
Potter Heads A Classy Chasing Pack
Graham Potter stormed up the managerial ranks after impressive spells at Swansea and Brighton, but he came unstuck as Chelsea boss, with his tenure lasting just seven months.
Potter is 3/1 to take over from Howe on Tyneside, and should he be able to recapture his Brighton form he could be a wise appointment.
However, Potter's spell at Chelsea may well put Newcastle's owners off, and if they are looking for a bigger name star to take over they could make an ambitious move for former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane (4/1).
It would be some statement if Zidane came in to replace Howe, but the former French footballer is unproven as a manager away from the Spanish capital.
He is also among the favourites to be the next Manchester United manager should the role become available.
Antonio Conte (5/1) tasted title success when he was boss of Chelsea, but, like Mourinho, things turned sour when he managed Spurs following his success at the Blues, and PIF may not want to take that risk.
Rodgers To Make Premier League Comeback?
Brendan Rodgers is also among the favourites on betting apps to be the next Newcastle manager, especially after beating Rangers 2-1 in the Old Firm derby recently.
The 11/2 chance (who was out at 7/1 at the start of the month) is currently in his second spell as Celtic manager, but he has plenty of Premier League experience after previously guiding Liverpool to second in the 2013-14 season, after the Reds finished two points behind champions Manchester City.
Rodgers also led Leicester City to their first FA Cup trophy win in their history, but he departed the Foxes in April 2023 after their form dipped and they went on to be relegated from the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola's former assistant Enzo Maresca is the man charged with getting Leicester back into the top flight, and he is also an outsider to be the next Newcastle manager.
While Maresca is doing a great job in the Championship - where his Foxes sit seven points clear at the top of the league - he is 33/1 to take over on the Toon, but it could be a step too far just yet.
Another likely candidate to be the next Newcastle boss is Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, who is 8/1 in the betting.
He has worked wonders at the south coast club, and it is thought he could land a top job when he eventually departs.
However, De Zerbi - who has been talked about as a possible future Real Madrid manager - might be aiming higher than Newcastle.
He is followed by Julian Nagelsmann at 10/1, but he is unlikely to leave his job as the German national team boss for now.
Speaking of Germany, Xabi Alonso has been impressing in the country, with his Bayer Leverkusen side currently topping the Bundesliga.
He is 12/1 for the Newcastle position, but if he can land Leverkusen's first-ever Bundesliga title then he, too, might be aiming higher than Tyneside.
Frank Could Be Good Fit
Should Newcastle's owners be searching for a manager with plenty of Premier League experience, then Brentford boss Thomas Frank could fit the bill.
He has guided the Bees to 13th and ninth place finishes in the Premier League, and it's widely thought he could get another team buzzing even more should he be handed further funds to play with.
Frank is 18/1 to be the next Newcastle gaffer, while Fulham manager Marco Silva is 25/1 and Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is 33/1 with new betting sites.
You'll also find ex-Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper at 33/1 in the betting.
Newcastle fans are likely to demand a bigger managerial name than Silva, Kompany and Cooper though, and while someone like Carlo Ancelotti (40/1) would certainly fit that bill, it might be tough to prise him away from Real Madrid - especially after Ancelotti signed a new contract recently.
The same goes for Man City boss Guardiola (33/1), while Newcastle have already tried and failed, before Howe’s reign, to land Unai Emery (50/1), who is working wonders over at Aston Villa.
Elsewhere, should England manager Gareth Southgate depart after the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament he might be hoping to land a top-end Premier League job.
But at 80/1, that's unlikely to be at Newcastle, and the Three Lions boss is only slightly shorter than the Lionesses' manager, Sarina Wiegman, who is 100/1 for the Newcastle hot seat.
One of the more romantic appointments would see Newcastle legend Alan Shearer swap his Match of the Day punditry for a second stint as the Magpies' boss, but at 1,000/1 he is far more likely to stick to his day job.
However, being a boyhood Newcastle fan himself, Shearer knows just how desperate the club's fans are to win a major trophy.
So, whoever does land the coveted position when Howe one day departs, they will have plenty of pressure to succeed, but they will also be backed in their droves by the St. James' Park faithful.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
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