Next Republic of Ireland manager betting sees another new favourite emerge
The ongoing saga surrounding who will become the next Republic of Ireland manager is continuing at pace. Several names have been tipped to succeed Stephen Kenny, who left the post last year.
There have been 'hot favourites' and surprise candidates, as Ireland fans patiently wait to see who the next boss will be.
And it appears there is a new favourite in town, with former Wigan Athletic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce now the outright favourite with BetVictor to be named as the permanent Ireland boss.
Read more: Stephen Kenny's sons making names for themselves in football and music
The betting company said: "Bruce’s name has been in the conversation for a while now but the former Premier League manager found himself backed into 6/4 yesterday to assume the role, placing him at the top of the market.
"Now behind him in the betting is interim boss John O’Shea, who has seen his odds to retain the role slashed from 12/1 to 5/2. A host of frequently touted names remain in the running, with the likes of Chris Hughton (5/1), Willy Sagnol (6/1), Anthony Barry (8/1) and Lee Carsley (8/1) all still eying the role."
Sam Boswell, spokesperson of BetVictor, said: “The Republic of Ireland are still yet to decide on a permanent fix to their managerial search and former Premier League boss Steve Bruce is the latest name to hit the top of the market, seeing his odds shorten to 6/4 and now sitting as our outright favourite for the job
“John O’Shea has been overlooked in the betting on many occasions but now appears increasingly likely to retain the position, shortening significantly to 5/2 having been as big as 12/1 for the role just weeks ago.
“Familiar names remain in the running, with former favourites Anthony Barry and Lee Carsley (both 8/1) still seemingly in contention, despite drifting behind others competitors in the market.”
Meanwhile, senior Ireland stars are convinced that Willy Sagnol is the man that the FAI had lined up to replace Stephen Kenny - only for Georgia to ruin plans for an early-April unveiling by qualifying for Euro 2024, reports the Irish Mirror.
Some players left the camp after last month’s friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland under the strong impression that the Georgia boss was the top man on Marc Canham’s list, according to a source close to the squad.
Canham announced ahead of that window - when he unveiled John O’Shea as interim boss for the March games - that the permanent manager would be named in early-April once “contractual obligations” were fulfilled.
The FAI’s director of football was due to give an update to the board on Wednesday - and a media briefing on the subject had been flagged for this week by Abbotstown sources.
FAI Director of Football Marc Canham.
However, speculation is now rife that an announcement on the next senior boss will be delayed until the summer. If Canham does hold off on appointing Kenny’s permanent successor, it would give Sagnol the opportunity to lead Georgia to the European Championships before taking the Ireland job.
It has been reported that senior FAI officials took a strong interest in Georgia’s penalty shootout win over Greece, on the same night that Ireland lost 1-0 to Switzerland.
Sagnol guided the eastern European side to a 2-0 win over Luxembourg in their play-off semi-final, before they secured their first ever qualification for a major tournament on spot-kicks against Gus Poyet’s side.
Poyet has also been linked with the Ireland job, but he looks set to sign a new deal to stay on as Greece boss.
Next Permanent Republic of Ireland Manager – Outright
Steve Bruce | 6/4 | ||
John O’Shea | 5/2 | ||
Chris Hughton | 5/1 | ||
Willy Sagnol | 6/1 | ||
Anthony Barry | 8/1 | ||
Lee Carsley | 8/1 | ||
BAR | 14/1 |
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox