Doesn’t the guillotine fall quickly on Premier League Managers? One moment, they are loved by fans and their Club Board; the next moment, they are out on the street searching for work (albeit with a major pay-off to soften the blow!)
Mauricio Pochettino knows just how it feels. The Argentinian was appointed manager of Tottenham Hotspur in 2014 and took Spurs to astonishing heights including the club’s first Champions League final in its history just last season. However, after some dismal results this autumn, and with Spurs languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table, Pochettino was summarily dismissed last week, with Jose Mourinho sliding in to his still-warm managerial seat less than 24 hours later.
Who will be the next Manager to be sacked in the febrile world of Premier League football? The bookmakers are tipping Marco Silva, with Skybet offering odds of 1/ 2 that the 42-year old Portuguese manager of Everton will be picking up his P45 very soon indeed.
Everton are hovering above the relegation zone, lying 16th in the Premier League table. And there are some big matches ahead with Leicester, local rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. Owner Farhad Moshiri had hoped to take the club into Europe this season and has invested heavily in a new £500M stadium and mighty large transfers, but to no avail.
Little wonder that rumours abound that he and Chairman Bill Kenwright are planning to ditch Silva who currently holds the dubious distinction of having the worst Premier League results of the past 6 Managers at the Club. Perhaps the only thing holding them back just now is the paucity of good replacement managers who would be willing to take on the problems at Goodison Park.
Arsenal Manager Unai Emery is also looking vulnerable with no wins in the past five Premier League games and a mid-table finish looking increasingly likely. After taking over the reins from Arsene Wenger, Emery took the Gunners to the Europa League Final and also enjoyed a 22-match unbeaten run. But the team that has been aiming for a top four finish in the League is now lying in seventh place, having gained only 18 points from the past 13 matches. It is rumoured that the Board at the Emirates Stadium would prefer to sack Emery in the summer but can they wait that long? After all, Pochettino is now available! Bookmaker Ladbrokes offers odds of 4/1 that the 48-year old Spaniard will be the next Manager to leave his post.
And don’t forget another underperformer, Manuel Pellegrini of West Ham. The 66-year old Chilean Manager must be feeling nervous when his team has gained only 2 points from a possible 21, and hasn’t had a win since beating Manchester United back on 22 September. However, he will take comfort from the fact that it would cost West Ham dearly to sack him given that he is reportedly on £10 million a year (lucky man!) with 2 years left on his contract. If you fancy a punt on Pellegrini’s future prospect, Skybet has odds of 7/1 that West Ham will make him the next Manager to leave the Premier League.