Following Steve Bruce’s dismissal on Wednesday, speculation has gone into overdrive as to who might take the reins at Newcastle United.
Previously the favourite for the St. James’ Park hotseat, Frank Lampard’s odds have now lengthened significantly to 14/1 with William Hill, with Paulo Fonseca now odds-on at 1/2 with 888Sport and UniBet.
A former boss of no less than five Primera Liga sides, the Portuguese steward led AS Roma to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League last season and was tipped to take the Tottenham hotseat earlier this summer. During his time in Italy however, Fonseca leaked an alarming number of goals.
The Magpies are facing a battle to avoid the drop this term given their current form and need a to tighten the ship. One name that has begun to shorten in the market is John Terry. Having left his role as Assistant Coach to Dean Smith at Aston Villa back in July, BestofBets sources suggest Terry could be a name in the frame after his own comments that he does want another coaching job, preferring instead to try his hand as manager.
A man who knows how to drill a team defensively, a move for JT would not be the worst move to make and could at the very least ensure Newcastle’s Premier League status. Having gone from 50/1 to 33s with 888Sport in the last 24 hours, Terry remains 50/1 with all major bookies, and can be had for 70/1 on the Betfair Exchange.
His Three Lions teammate of England’s prior golden generation Steven Gerrard continues to be a name mooted; however, his own price has also moved out to a full 20/1 with BoyleSports.
Eddie Howe meanwhile – a 16/1 shot only last week – has been slashed to 6/1 with SkyBet but as long as 10s with BetVictor, whilst former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre continues to hold steady at 6/1, also with SkyBet. Antonio Conte, however, appears to be out of the running, now a cool 33/1 with PaddyPower and Betfair.
This particular market is definitely one to watch in the coming days.
