Next Brighton Manager Odds: Contenders Line Up After Graham Potter Exit
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The search for a new manager goes on for Brighton & Hove Albion, with a new favourite having emerged in the markets offered by the best betting sites.
Graham Potter’s departure last week was sudden and it is no surprise that Albion have not made a quick appointment.
Brighton are a well-run club that tend to be proactive rather than reactive, but they have been forced onto the back foot following Chelsea’s approach for their boss after the sacking of Thomas Tuchel.
Still, the Seagulls are likely to have drawn up a list of potential successors to Potter even before he departed the Amex Stadium, hence the inclusion in the markets of several left-field candidates.
Whoever takes charge will be inheriting a promising situation: Brighton, whose scheduled game against Crystal Palace on Saturday has been postponed, head into the weekend in fourth place in the Premier League.
So, who will be Potter’s replacement on the south coast? Let’s take a look at the latest odds and then assess the leading contenders.
Haise The New Favourite To Replace Potter At The Helm
Odds on Franck Haise taking over at the Amex were not even available a few days ago; now he is the odds-on favourite at 17/20.
The Lens boss is among the names under consideration, according to a report by the Guardian, with the Brighton board no doubt impressed by the work he has done at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Haise is 51 years old but he is a relative newcomer to frontline management. His first permanent job arrived only in 2020 after a promising few seasons with Lens’ B team.
He has led the club, which competed in the second tier as recently as two and a half years ago, to back-to-back seventh-place finishes in Ligue 1, while at the time of writing they are third behind only Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille.
Like Potter, Haise is a flexible manager who routinely switches between formations, including a three at the back and a four-man defensive unit. It is no surprise that he is on Brighton’s shortlist.
Knutsen Still In The Mix After Fine Work In Norway
Kjetil Knutsen is now the second-favourite at 3/1 with Paddy Power but some bettors may deem that to be excellent value given that he has been viewed as a prominent contender ever since Potter left for Chelsea.
The 53-year-old has worked wonders at Bodo/Glimt, a Norwegian club which plays in a 8,300-capacity stadium and had never won the top-flight title before he took charge.
Bodo/Glimt have twice been crowned champions of Norway on Knutsen’s watch, while they went on a magnificent run to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League last term.
Knutsen would find it hard to resist an offer from a high-flying Premier League club, so much will come down to whether or not he is Brighton’s first choice.
Svensson Emerges As Leading Candidate For Job
Bo Svensson is another new name in the frame, with football betting sites listing him at a best price of 9/1. The Dane came to prominence during his two years at the helm of Austrian outfit Liefering, which acts as a feeder club for Red Bull Salzburg.
His work there was rewarded with the Mainz job in 2021 and he has continued to improve his reputation while in Germany.
Svensson’s side exceeded expectations to finish eighth in the Bundesliga last term, with a memorable 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich the highlight along the way. Mainz’s start to this season suggests 2021/22 was no fluke: they are currently sixth, just two points behind Borussia Dortmund.
Svensson admitted he was flattered by the Brighton links, so this could be one to watch.
Cooper And De Zerbi Have Seen Odds Lengthen
Steve Cooper has drifted out to 10/1 with betting apps in recent days. The Nottingham Forest boss will not want to leave his job at the City Ground unfinished, and the fact he has been in charge for less than a year means he has not achieved everything he will want to at the club, despite last season’s promotion.
Roberto De Zerbi (12/1) also appears unlikely to take over at Brighton at this stage, with rumours that he could be a leading contender to replace Max Allegri, who is under pressure at Juventus.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou (14/1) is focused on Celtic as he strives to lead them into the last 16 of the Champions League. Ian Evatt is a rank outsider at 16/1 despite his exploits at Bolton Wanderers and his preference for a possession-based style of play.
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