Salford City Next Manager Odds: Top Contenders To Replace Axed Karl Robinson
Salford City wielded the axe after Karl Robinson failed to secure promotion and are now on the hunt for a new manager.
The Red Devils finished fourth in the table, just one point behind promoted Cambridge, but lost 3-0 to Notts County in the League Two play-off final.
The club started the new season with a new ownership structure which involved only Gary Neville and David Beckham as investors from the original ‘Class of 92’.
Both former Manchester United players were at Wembley to watch a dispiriting defeat which ultimately cost Robinson his job.
The question is who will replace the Liverpudlian at Moor Lane for the start of next season?
Betting sites have installed Rochdale boss Jim McNulty as the early favourite, but there are several other potential candidates.
Here, we take a look at those who could be considered to fill the vacancy and the latest Salford City manager odds.
Next Salford City Manager: McNulty Impressed With Dale
McNulty did a fantastic job in getting Dale back in the Football League on a limited budget compared to big-spending York and is 6/5 favourite for the Salford job.
Rochdale topped the table for much of the season, but ran out of steam towards the end, though their fate was still in their hands on the final day of what was the greatest ending to a National League campaign.
Needing to beat leaders York, their chance seemed to be slipping away until Emmanuel Dieseruvwe headed in what seemed to be a 95th-minute winner which sparked a lengthy pitch invasion.
However, the Minstermen levelled in the 103rd minute to secure automatic promotion and send Dale into the play-offs.
Next Salford City Manager Odds:
Manager | Odds | Probability |
Jimmy McNulty | 6/5 | 45.5% |
Darren Ferguson | 8/5 | 38.5% |
Dave Artell | 2/1 | 33.3% |
Luke Garrard | 5/2 | 28.6% |
Dean Brennan | 3/1 | 25% |
Mat Sadler | 4/1 | 20% |
Mark Hughes | 5/1 | 16.7% |
Kevin Nolan | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Eric Ramsay | 8/1 | 11.1% |
Dale made it to the final where they trailed 2-0 until Tyler Smith pulled one back with 12 minutes remaining and then Dieseruvwe struck in extra time again to send the game to penalties which McNulty's side won.
It was fully deserved for a team that ended the season on 106 points, a haul which no doubt has prompted many clubs to consider McNulty, who has spent most of his football career in the north-west.
Artell Attracting Attention
Grimsby manager Dave Artell is the early frontrunner for the vacancy at Edgeley Park, but is third favourite at 2/1 for the Salford post.
Artell has one managerial promotion on his CV, with Crewe in the 2019/20 season, and went close to adding another with Grimsby in the recently-finished campaign.
The Mariners suffered extra-time heartbreak in the League Two play-off semi-final against Salford in a season which saw them eliminate Manchester United from the second round of the Carabao Cup.
Neville and Beckham are bound to be impressed by Grimsby’s attack-minded philosophy under Artell, whose team were the joint top scorers in the division with 74 goals.
They are among the favourites to win the League title next season, but will Artell be there to oversee their promotion push?
Garrard In The Mix
Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard is another non-league manager Salford may consider as a replacement for Robinson.
Wood were just 12 minutes away from making it to the Football League for the first time in the club’s history this season, but missed out in a penalty shoot-out with Rochdale.
The Hertfordshire club have reached the National League play-offs on four occasions under Garrard and famously reached the fifth round of the FA Cup in the 2021/22 season.
Garrard was sacked when Wood were relegated at the end of the 2023/24 camapign, but five months later he was back at the helm to guide the club out of National League South via the play-offs.
Although he has never been tested at another club, Garrard is 5/2 with betting apps to land the Red Devils job.
Brennan Got Bees Buzzing
Dean Brennan spent nearly all of his playing career in non-league football and that was the case on the managerial front until he oversaw Barnet’s promotion as National League champions in the 2024/25 season.
The Bees finished just one place outside this season’s League Two play-offs, two points adrift of Grimsby, so it was another successful campaign for the Irishman, who has been at the club for more than five years.
Brennan can be backed at 3/1, just ahead of 4/1 shot Mat Sadler, who was most recently in charge of Walsall.
Karl Robinson has left his position as Head Coach of Salford City with immediate effect.
— Salford City FC (@SalfordCityFC) June 2, 2026
Karl has conducted himself throughout his time at Salford City with professionalism and integrity. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Club and has been fully dedicated to helping us… pic.twitter.com/LwZjAYzCHM
Sadler twice led Walsall to the top of League Two with a comfortable cushion, but on both occasions they imploded in the second half of the season and failed to go up.
That may set alarm bells ringing with Salford’s owners, who may decide to look elsewhere.
Other managers in the frame include the experienced Mark Hughes, who left Carlisle at the end of the season after they failed to get out of the National League play-offs.
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Hughes can be backed at 5/1, ahead of Kevin Nolan, who lists Leyton Orient, Notts County and Northampton as previous clubs he has managed.
The former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham midfielder is 6/1 for the Salford job, while ex-West Brom boss Eric Ramsay is 8/1.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
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