Next Cardiff City Manager Odds: Barry-Murphy And Buckingham In Bluebirds Battle

Des Buckingham and Brian Barry-Murphy remain the favourites with betting sites to be Cardiff's next manager.

Cardiff are taking their time with the appointment as they look for the right person to lead them in their bid of immediate promotion back to the Championship.

The Welsh club's board have defended their decision to delay the announcement, which they are calling "one of the most important appointments" in their history.

Odds To Win 2025/26 League One Title:

Get it right and they should be back in the second tier for the 2026/27 season, get it wrong and they could be the latest high-profile club to struggle to escape League One. 

Sunderland and Leeds have both been in the third tier within the last 15 years, but they are now back in the Premier League.

Cardiff have held advanced talks with Barry-Murphy about the vacancy, but Buckingham is also in the frame.

Buckingham Remains The Favourite

Having made his name in New Zealand where he enjoyed successful spells with the U20 and U23 teams, Buckingham is probably best known for his time at Oxford.

Buckingham joined his hometown club following two years in India with Mumbai City, and his first stint as a coach in England could not have gone any better, steering the club into the Championship after a 25-year absence thanks to a League One play-off final victory over Bolton.

Thirteen months on from his appointment, Buckingham was sacked, much to the disappointment of most Oxford fans, who believed he deserved more time.

Buckingham was 16/1 to land the Bluebirds role last week but is now just 8/13 on football betting sites.

Next Cardiff City Manager Odds

Barry-Murphy In The Frame

Brian Barry-Murphy had been favourite for the Cardiff City job, but he now finds himself as second on the list at 6/5.

Best known for his work with Manchester City’s development squad, the Irish coach has also held roles at Rochdale and Leicester City.

At 46, Barry-Murphy is widely respected within coaching circles and is expected to take on a managerial position in the future. 

If Buckingham doesn't get the job, then Barry-Murphy could be the one to land the Cardiff post this time around.

Evatt Has League One Experience

Ian Evatt  impressed during his time at Bolton, leading the club to promotion from League Two and bringing them to a play-off final in League One.

Evatt left the club by mutual consent in January and has been in the running for several lower league jobs.

He was 10/1 recently to lead Cardiff next season, but his odds have since been cut to 6/1 on betting apps.

Critchley A Contender

Neil Critchley has emerged as something of a left-field candidate for the Cardiff job.

The 46-year-old, known for leading Blackpool to Championship promotion in 2021, is currently 10/1 for the role.

The former QPR manager's experience in youth development make him something of a long-term option for the Bluebirds' board.

What's more, his links with Wasserman, the agency assisting Cardiff in their managerial search, could seriously influence the club's decision.

Gerrard Among Outsiders

Elsewhere, former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is 33/1 to get back into management at the Cardiff City Stadium after leaving Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq at the end of January.

Gerrard's former assistant at Rangers and ex-Sunderland and QPR boss, Michael Beale, is also priced at 33/1. 

Tommy Elphick has yet to manage a club, but he is starting to garner an excellent reputation from his spell as an assistant at Bournemouth under former boss Gary O’Neil and current head coach Andoni Iraola. 

Elphick is another name at 33/1, just like Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley, Dundee United's Jim Goodwin, Vitor Campelos and Ruben Selles.

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