Next Hearts Manager Odds: Wagner Heads The Market As Interviews Begin
There are not many clubs in Scotland right now with a more compelling managerial vacancy than Hearts, and a number of candidates are battling it out on betting sites.
Derek McInnes has agreed a deal in principle to take charge at Ibrox - the club he represented as a player for five years - with Danny Rohl heading to Red Bull Salzburg.
McInnes led Hearts to a second-place finish in the Scottish Premiership, a club record points total, an unbeaten home league record, and Champions League qualification for the coming season.
He leaves behind a platform that makes the Hearts job one of the most attractive in Scottish football.
Whoever steps in must be in place quickly, with players reportedly due back for pre-season at the end of June.
The draw to determine who Hearts will face in the Champions League second qualifying round takes place on June 17, with the first leg on July 21.
Hearts owners, including Brighton chairman Tony Bloom, have already drawn up a longlist of British and overseas candidates, and informal conversations are said to have been held.
Here, we look at the main rivals in the next Hearts manager odds and the latest prices available with betting apps.
Wagner Heads The Market
David Wagner sits at the top of the betting at 6/4, and it is not hard to see why.
The 54-year-old is best known in British football for performing one of the Championship's most unexpected promotion miracles - taking Huddersfield Town to the Premier League via the 2017 play-off final before keeping them up the following season.
He has been without a club since Norwich City parted ways with him in May 2024 following their play-off exit, and is understood to be among those who have already spoken to the Hearts hierarchy.
His high-tempo, high-pressure brand of football and reputation for building squad unity from scratch make him a credible match for a Hearts side being substantially rebuilt ahead of a Champions League campaign.
Next Hearts Manager Odds:
Manager | Odds | Probability |
David Wagner | 6/4 | 40% |
Jimmy Thelin | 2/1 | 33.3% |
John McGlynn | 3/1 | 25% |
Steven Pressley | 3/1 | 25% |
Rob Edwards | 4/1 | 20% |
Steve Cooper | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Ryan Mason | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Eric Ramsay | 7/1 | 12.5% |
Robbie Keane | 8/1 | 11.1% |
David Hubert | 9/1 | 10% |
Craig Levein | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Thelin Has Unfinished Business In Scotland
Jimmy Thelin is the 2/1 second favourite and perhaps the most intriguing name in the mix.
The Swede arrived at Aberdeen in June 2024 and immediately ignited a spark, winning 13 consecutive games before delivering the club's first Scottish Cup in 35 years with a penalty shoot-out victory over Celtic at Hampden in May 2025.
Form collapsed badly in 2025/26, and the axe fell in January 2026, but his stock remains high, and he has been without a club since.
His familiarity with the Scottish Premiership, combined with an analytics-friendly approach and a track record of overachievement at Elfsborg, makes him exactly the kind of candidate the Hearts board is understood to be targeting.
McGlynn Knows The Club Inside Out
John McGlynn is available at 3/1 and brings a connection to Hearts that few candidates can match.
The 64-year-old managed the club in 2012/13 and has since built an extraordinary record at Falkirk, steering the Bairns from League One to the Scottish Premiership in back-to-back title-winning seasons and claiming PFA Scotland Manager of the Year in both 2024 and 2025.
Falkirk finished sixth in their debut Premiership campaign, a genuine overachievement.
Whether he views the Hearts job as the natural next step or opts to stay in Falkirk remains to be seen, but the door is open.
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Pressley Would Get An Instant Reception
Steve Pressley is also 3/1 and would likely walk through the Tynecastle door to a standing ovation.
The former Hearts captain played more than 250 league games for the club and lifted the 2006 Scottish Cup as skipper, giving him an emotional connection with the support that none of the other candidates can match.
He returned to Scottish management last summer after leaving Brentford, taking charge of Dundee, and guided the club to an eighth-place Premiership finish after a difficult opening spell.
His managerial record is modest relative to some of the names above him in the market, but the sentimental pull is undeniable.
Edwards And Cooper Are Contenders
Rob Edwards (4/1) became available just days ago when Wolves parted ways with him following relegation from the Premier League, and despite back-to-back top-flight drops - the first with Luton in 2024 - his reputation as a builder of cohesive attacking squads remains intact after guiding the Hatters to the top flight for the first time in over 30 years in 2023.
Steve Cooper (5/1) offers a more seasoned profile, with promotion from the Championship at Nottingham Forest, a play-off final with Swansea City, and a 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup on his coaching CV.
Elsewhere, Ryan Mason (6/1) is the youngest candidate at 33, and while his West Brom tenure last season was short-lived, his ambition is not in question, and a club of Hearts' current stature - with European football attached - would represent a significant step up.
Eric Ramsay (7/1) carved out his reputation as a talented coach at Manchester United before heading to MLS with Minnesota United, then taking the West Brom job in January 2026, bringing a modern, forward-thinking approach that is understood to align well with Hearts' way of working.
The Longer Shots With Something To Offer
Robbie Keane (8/1) confirmed his exit as Ferencvaros manager in late May 2026 after a successful 16 months in Budapest, having won the Hungarian league in his first season and the Hungarian Cup in his second.
David Hubert (9/1) is currently in charge of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, where the 38-year-old Belgian guided the club to a Belgian Cup triumph and a Champions League campaign this season, playing the kind of possession-based, progressive football that would go down well with Hearts fans.
The Belgian club are also co-owned by Bloom, so it would be no surprise were the 38-year-old to make the move to Tynecastle.
Another outsider in the market, Craig Levein (10/1) has been without a club since being sacked by St Johnstone in September 2024 and is a long shot in every sense, but the 61-year-old played 14 years at Tynecastle and has managed the club on two previous occasions.
Few people know Hearts better, and if the search throws up no clear front-runner, his name will inevitably be linked with the Jambos.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
Who do you think would be a good fit for Hearts? Let us know in the comments below!
