Next Barnsley Manager Odds: Hourihane Leads The Way After Warne Joins MK Dons

Barnsley's search for a new manager continues and the best betting sites have updated their odds as the summer edges closer. 

The Tykes parted ways with Darrell Clarke after a 3-0 home defeat by Blackpool last month, with Conor Hourihane handed the role until the end of the season.

The former club captain and assistant coach failed to oversee a win in his first five games in charge, but finally picked up three points at the weekend with an impressive victory over Bolton.

Paul Warne was installed as the favourite on Monday, but he joined League Two side MK Dons on the same day.

Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney was also one of the early favourites, but he no longer seems to be in the picture.

So, who is in the mix to be the club’s next permanent boss? Let’s take a look at the latest next Barnsley manager odds. 

Barnsley Next Manager Odds

Hourihane Heads Candidates 

Conor Hourihane's odds on landing the Barnsley job on a permanent basis drifted to 8/1 after a poor run of results since he took charge, but one win has changed all that and he is now the 6/4 favourite.

The South Yorkshire side still had a slim chance of reaching the play-offs when Hourihane took over, but just two points from a possible 15 put paid to his side's hopes.

Any chance of finishing in the top six was extinguished by a 6-2 drubbing at leaders Birmingham, although the Tykes won for the first time under Hourihane at the weekend.

Jon Russell and Fabio Jalo both scored twice in a 4-1 win against play-off hopefuls Bolton, but a mid-table finish still looks on the cards.

That victory, though, saw Hourihane's price slashed in the next Barnsley manager odds and with Warne no longer in the frame, the Irishman is the new frontrunner to get the job on a permanent basis.

Williams Has Coaching Acumen

Luke Williams successfully kept Swansea in the Championship last season, but a failure to kick on this term saw him dismissed in January. 

Williams no doubt hopes he has done enough to earn another job in the second tier, but it is more likely that he will have to drop down into League One. 

Hiring clubs like Barnsley should remember Williams’ excellent work at Notts County before he moved to south Wales. 

His style of football is easy on the eye and Tykes fans would surely welcome his attack-minded focus. 

Williams was initially the Evens favourite with betting apps to lead Barnsley next season, but his odds have lengthened to 5/2.

Buckingham Has Thrived At This Level

Des Buckingham could count himself as unfortunate to have been fired by Oxford earlier this season, but his stock only rose during his time at the Kassam Stadium. 

Buckingham upset the odds by leading Oxford into the Championship via the play-offs last term, and at the time of his departure, the club were outside the second-tier relegation zone.

Buckingham is bound to get another good job soon, perhaps at a team in League One with the resources to compete for automatic promotion. 

Do not be surprised if Barnsley make an approach for Buckingham, who can be backed at 3/1 to replace Hourihane in the Oakwell dugout. 

Artell Has Brains To Lead Barnsley

David Artell is one of the most intelligent managers in the Football League, but could his brain be used to get Barnsley out of League One?

Artell has a degree in forensic biology and has been putting his grey matter to good use in a late bid for the play-offs with Grimsby.

An eight-game unbeaten run from the end of January, which included a 3-1 win at Walsall, resulted in the Mariners moving into the top seven.

They have since won three of their last seven games and occupy the final play-off spot, but could Artell be persuaded to take on a bigger club in the summer?

That may depend on whether the long-time Crewe manager fancies a different challenge, but he is 4/1 to accept if offered the opportunity.

Evatt Knows League One Well 

Ian Evatt called time on his four-and-a-half-year spell in charge of Bolton earlier in 2025. 

The former defender opted to leave the club in January because he needed a break, although a string of poor results did not exactly help his position. 

Evatt knows League One very well, and that could work in his favour. 

He was not quite able to secure promotion to the second tier with Bolton, but he did a good job in Lancashire for the most part. 

Barnsley could end up turning to the ex-centre-back in the summer, with Evatt available in this market at odds of 5/1 with football betting sites. 

Rooney Drifts, But Duff Could Return

Other names being considered for the top job at Oakwell include Michael Duff, who was recently sacked by Huddersfield, and is 5/1 to return to Oakwell.

Duff had a 55% win rate when he led the Tykes to the League One play-off final in the 2022/23 season and many fans would welcome him back.  

Former Wigan boss Shaun Maloney is 7/1 and ex-Cambridge manager Garry Monk is 8/1.

Rob Elliot, most recently at Crawley, remains at 10/1, but Rooney has drifted considerably from 7/2 to 12/1.  

Rob Edwards, axed by Luton earlier this year, is 14/1 to get back into management.

* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.