With another international break upon us and just seven weeks until the transfer window opens again, this is a dangerous time to be an underperforming Premier League manager.
So far, we’ve just seen just one team change coach with Erik ten Hag replaced by Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, but with four teams having only won once in 11 attempts this season, the potential for further moves is high.
Of those under threat, betting sites believe Southampton boss Russell Martin is the most likely to go next with the Saints coach just ahead of West Ham’s Julen Lopetegui in the sack race market.
Sack race odds: Sinking Saints may throw Martin overboard
Southampton finally secured their first league win of the season earlier this month, beating Everton 1-0, but Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Wolves saw them slip to the bottom of the league with just four points.
They are only four points from safety though with 27 games to play but the big concern will be the lack of goals scored so far, with just seven in 11 games, a poor return from the chances they’ve created.
They have managed just 113 shots so far, which is the same number as Leicester and five more than Ipswich, but the Tractor Boys have scored five more. It’s a far cry from last season when the south coast side finished as the second highest scoring team in the Championship on their way to promotion.
Premier League betting sites currently make Saints no bigger than 1/5 to go straight back down to the second tier and those odds don’t look likely to move the way Martin wants after the international break with Southampton’s next five games against Liverpool (H), Brighton (A), Chelsea (H), Aston Villa (A) and Tottenham (H).
Martin is a best price of 11/8 to be sacked with William Hill, just ahead of West Ham boss Lopetegui, who is 7/5 on a couple of betting apps after a poor start to life at the London Stadium.
Lopetegui replaced David Moyes as West Ham boss in the summer, despite the Hammers finishing ninth in the Premier League table last term.
He has managed just three wins so far this season and lost five, including three defeats at home. Saturday’s drab goalless draw at home to Everton could be his last in charge with speculation mounting that the Hammers board could be ready to act sooner rather than later.
There’s a bit of a gap between the top two in the market on football betting sites and the rest with Wolves boss Gary O’Neil next on the list at 13/2.
Saturday’s win over Southampton will have taken a bit of pressure off O’Neill, and that result had been coming.
Despite picking up just six points so far, they have actually played quite well, especially in the games against Liverpool and Manchester City.
The Wolves board didn’t act when they endured a run of six straight defeats in all competitions, so it seems unlikely they’ll do it now with two draws and a win in their last three games.
Five of their next seven games are against teams around them in the table so things could become clearer after that – with those games against Everton, West Ham, Ipswich, Leicester and Manchester United earmarked as potential wins.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is another boss under pressure with bookmakers also offering 8/1 on him being the next manager to go after a difficult start to this campaign.
Palace ended last season with six wins from their last seven matches, so hopes were high for Glasner’s first full season in charge after replacing Roy Hodgson in February.
They currently sit in the bottom three with just seven points on the board from one win and four draws so far. Their only win came over Tottenham, whose boss Ange Postecoglou also remains under pressure after their mixed start.
Spurs have mixed five wins with five defeats and one draw in the Premier League this season and it’s been tough to know what to expect from the north London side on a week-by-week basis.
Since the start of October, Tottenham have beaten Aston Villa and West Ham 4-1 in the league and eliminated Manchester City in the EFL Cup. However, in between those victories have been defeats to Brighton, Crystal Palace and, most recently, Ipswich.
Postecoglou is 16/1 to be the next boss sacked but when they are just three points off the top four and rivals Arsenal, things could change quickly for the Aussie.
Responsible gambling
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