Next West Ham manager betting odds: Who is the favourite to succeed sacked Julen Lopetegui?

West Ham have confirmed the departure of Julen Lopetegui after a truly miserable six months in charge.

West Ham struggled to find a new identity under Lopetegui, unless you count getting thumped regularly as an identity.

Lopetegui had been the favourite to be the next manager to be sacked for over a month and after much confusion West Ham owner David Sullivan finally pulled the trigger on Wednesday, January 8.

But who will replace the Spaniard at the London Stadium? We look at the leading candidates.

(All odds are subject to change)

 

Graham Potter - 1/10

Seemingly the most unemployed manager in football, Potter is linked with every job but never crosses the threshold.

He left Chelsea in April 2023 and was clearly so scarred by that experience he’s yet to return to management.

The Chelsea fans treated Potter terribly, so he might think twice about throwing his lot in with West Ham’s supporters, who are all charming, measured and not prone to knee-jerk reactions in the slightest…cough cough cough.

Importantly Potter ticks a big box in the West Ham board's eyes; he's unemployed and they won't have to buy him out of the a contract. Which is why they missed out on Ruben Amorim over the summer.

He's now been pictured talking to West Ham's sporting director Tim Steidten and everyone puts two and two together and nails Potter down to be odds-on favourite.

 

Michael Carrick - 6/1

Former West Ham midfielder who made over a hundred appearances for the club, and then like so many others left and became even better.

He’s done a solid job at Middlesbrough without taking them back to the promised land, and is considered a manager with a great deal of potential.

The problem here is that West Ham owner David Sullivan won't want to stick his hand in his pocket to buy him out of his current contract and isn't the greatest fan of appointing young up and coming managers.

For this reason Carrick might hang around the top of this market for a bit, but will eventually far away.

 

David Moyes - 7/1

Surely a third coming of the Moyesiah can’t happen…can it?

The Scot came from nowhere when he first joined West Ham, and it was a little more telegraphed the second time round. A third return would be surprising, but not totally out of the question.

West Ham fans are still split on Moyes, he brought them some of the best times in recent years, but without the sparkle they demand.

However, under Moyes it’s unlikely that West Ham would have had their bottom spanked as much as they have under Lopetegui this season.

When this market first opened he was way back at 33/1, now he's as short as 7/2 for the job.

Has the panic button been pushed?

 

Kasper Hjulmand - 11/1

Reports in the German media threw Kasper Hjulmand's name into the mix, even though most English football fans won't have heard of him.

Unemployed after leading Denmark to two Euros and the World Cup, he not an appointment that will have West Ham fans dancing in the street - they do a lot of that if you are prone to lazy East London stereotypes.

But Hjulmand's club experience doesn't pull up any trees, he won the Danish first division in the 2006/07 season and the Superliga with Nordsjaelland in the 2011/12.

These appointments sandwiched a flop in the Bundesliga with Mainz, where he won only five of his 24 games in charge.

 

Edin Terzic - 12/1

The 42-year-old took Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final and lost the league title on goal difference to Bayern Munich on the final day of the season.

Terzic has previous with West Ham having been assistant coach to Slaven Bilic between August 2015 and November 2017 and Sullivan knows West Ham fans like a person with a club connection - see Michael Carrick.

The only problem was he was so anonymous at West Ham he could have gone into any pub around the ground after the match and nobody would have noticed him.

 

Maurizio Sarri - 20/1

Sarri certainly fits the mold.

He’s managed in England, albeit for one season - tick.

He won some silverware with Chelsea and Juventus - tick

He’s experienced with over 1,000 games under his belt, even at some clubs West Ham’s owner David Sullivan has heard of - tick.

He currently unemployed and doesn’t come with a buy-out clause - massive tick

Sarri is certainly an interesting option and has recently been telling the media it was a mistake to leave Chelsea, perhaps he wants to return to the capital.

West London is very different from East London me ole china.

 

Massimiliano Allegri - 20/1

Also unemployed after leaving Juventus in the summer, Allegri being given the West Ham hotseat looks like a big step down for the Italian.

For a start he’s won the Serie A five times with Juventus and once with AC Milan, plus multiple Coppa Italias and two Champions League runners’ up medals.

No offence to West Ham but why would Allegri want to slum it at West Ham in a potential relegation dogfight.

It would take a serious clump of cash to lure Allegri to East London and that’s just not the West Ham way.

 

Gary O'Neil - 20/1

This appears to be a lazy name just slung into the mixer, but it's not without merit.

He has several qualities that will attract David Sullivan. He's unemployed and cheap the big two on his list.

O'Neil has also played for West Ham in the early 2010s, workmanlike is probably the best way of describing his 50-or so appearances.

A bit 'meh' to West Ham fans and sadly that will be the reaction if he takes the hotseat at the London Stadium.

The anger will be directed at Sullivan again for his penny-pinching attitude towards managers.

 

Sam Allardyce - 30/1

Oh c'mon now this is getting silly, but his odds have been shortening steadily in the last few weeks.

 

READ MORE: Next Premier League manager to leave odds

 

READ MORE: Who are the best football tipsters and who has the the best strike rate?

 

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