A familiar face finds himself as the favourite to replace Gary O'Neil as Wolves manager.
On Sunday, Wolves took the decision to sack Gary O’Neil following the 2-1 home loss to Ipswich.
O’Neil survived ‘El Sackico’ despite defeat at West Ham last week, but a dismal display against the Tractor Boys was the final straw for the club’s owners. Despite a recent upturn in form, a fourth loss on the spin leaves Wolves four points off safety.
Wolves were hardly struggling in front of goal, netting 24 times with Matheus Cunha their star player, but the failure to keep opponents out leaves them mired in the relegation zone. Indeed, Wolves have conceded at least six more goals (40) than any other Premier League team this season.
Even so, the 24 goals doesn’t quite paint the whole picture, with O’Neil’s side overperforming their Expected Goals haul by 4.74, the second highest overperformance in England’s top tier this term.
Their struggles at the back were compounded by their inability to deny opponents from scoring from set-pieces, with 14 of the 40 goals they have conceded this season coming from deadball situations.
That they are currently committing the second most fouls per game (13) doesn’t help matters, and unsavoury scenes during defeats to West Ham and Ipswich from Mario Lemina and Cunha, respectively, pointed to a picture of frustration within the squad.
Attention now turns to O’Neil’s replacement in the next Wolves manager odds market.
William Hill
- Solid in-play betting service
- Cash-in option to help increase profitability
- Excellent reputation within the UK betting-industry
William Hill New Customer Offer - Unlock £60 in bonuses from just a £10 bet on the next Wolves manager market
Who is the favourite to be the next Wolves manager?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has quickly been installed as the favourite to take over at Molineux.
The former Manchester United manager is the 2/1 favourite on William Hill to succeed O’Neil at Wolves, and his attendance in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Ipswich added fuel to the fire that he’d take over the reins for the Midlands side.
Ex-West Ham manager David Moyes (9/2) and current West Brom boss Carlos Corberan (4/1) are Solskjaer's biggest challengers according to the betting odds, though whether the latter will leave his current role for Black Country rivals Wolves remains to be seen.
Former FC Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is a shortest 8/1 but 14/1 through oddschecker, while Pedro Martins, currently of Al-Gharafa SC, is at 12/1 on BetVictor but 25/1 on William Hill.
Out-of-work bosses Steve Cooper and Mark Robins can both be found at a best price of 16/1.
The next Wolves boss has a tough task on their hands, however. Cunha has been linked with a move away next month, while this is a club that is prepared to cash in on their prized performers and shown a reluctance to re-invest in the squad.
This was noted in departures of Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins, Matheus Nunes, Pedro Neto and Max Kilman in the last 18 months. They need to get the next appointment right, or they’ll be involved in another relegation dogfight they may not survive.
Next Wolves Manager Odds
| Next Wolves Manager | Best Odds | Worst Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 2/1 | 2/1 |
| Carlos Corberan | 4/1 | 5/2 |
| David Moyes | 9/2 | 4/1 |
| Sergio Conceicao | 14/1 | 8/1 |
| Mark Robins | 16/1 | 9/1 |
