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Next West Brom manager odds: Lee Carsley early favourite to replace Ryan Mason

We take a closer look at the latest betting odds for who will be named as the new manager of West Brom

(REUTERS)

Another day and another manager has been sacked as chairman and owners up and down the country decide whether to stick or twist to give their club’s a fighting chance for the rest of the season.

The latest club looking for a new boss is West Bromwich Albion after they took the decision to sack Ryan Mason after just seven months in charge.

The former Spurs coach and caretaker manager joined the club in June on a three-year contract but just nine wins in 27 games leaves them 18th in the table, 10 points off the play-off places.

Monday night’s 2-1 defeat at Leicester City, which saw Abdul Fatawu score the winner in added time, was their fourth defeat in the last five games and means they are now looking for their eighth permanent manager since 2020.

Next West Brom manager odds

Manager

Odds

Betting site

Lee Carsley

4/1

BetVictor

Michael Carrick

8/1

talkSPORT BET

Russell Martin

8/1

BetVictor

James Morrison

8/1

talkSPORT BET

Carlos Corberan

10/1

BetVictor

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer

14/1

talkSPORT BET

Michael Skubala

14/1

BetVictor

Brian Barry-Murphy

16/1

BetVictor

Local Carsley the favourite

It’s been a while since we have seen England U21 coach Lee Carsley as the favourite for a manager’s job in the Championship. At 4/1, he is the leading contender to replace Mason at The Hawthorns with betting sites.

After he took caretaker charge of England, following the departure of Gareth Southgate, the former midfielder was linked with just about every job going - including this one when Tony Mowbray left in April.

As a former Birmingham City and Coventry City player and coach, it remains to be seen if he would cross the second city to take charge at the Hawthorns or if it would be a popular choice among the fans.

Just because he knows the city should not be enough of a reason for either party. For Carsley, he has a secure job at the FA and a better group of players than he would have at West Brom, and for the club, barring a couple of caretaker manager spells and seven months in charge of Brentford back in 2015, his club management experience is limited.

The Baggies currently sit just seven points above the relegation zone and 10 off the play-offs, so, with 20 games still to play, is now really the time to take a chance?

Could Carrick be ready to return to management?

Michael Carrick is the second favourite to replace Mason and he certainly knows what it takes to win in the Championship.

The former Manchester United midfielder guided Middlesbrough to the play-offs in 2023 and the League Cup semi-finals the following season. He has been out of work since June, when he was sacked by the club after finishing 10th in the league, four points behind sixth-placed Bristol City.

After a brief spell as caretaker manager at Manchester United in 2021, when he won two and drew the other game and guided them to the last 16 of the Champions League, he might be waiting for the call to return to Old Trafford.

Football betting sites are offering odds as little as 6/1 on the 44-year-old replacing Ruben Amorim as the next permanent manager of United.

Will 2026 see more managers return to their former clubs?

There has been a growing trend recently of managers returning to former clubs, including Chris Wilder, David Moyes, Javi Gracia and Steve Cottrrill so we shouldn’t be too surprised to see two former Baggies bosses among the favourites to return.

Carlos Corberan left West Brom in December 20224 to take charge of his boyhood club Valencia in La Liga. After taking over with the club in the relegation places, he guided them to a 12th-place finish, but things aren’t going as well this season.

His side haven’t won in their last five games, and a 4-1 defeat to Celta Vigo at the weekend saw them slip into the bottom three and the fans turn against him.

The Albion fans still have a soft spot for the Spaniard after he guided them to the play-offs in his first full season in charge, after finishing fifth in the league, but they were beaten 6-2 by Southampton on aggregate.

A return to the Hawthorns could be the perfect escape for Corberan, who also reached the Championship play-offs as manager of Huddersfield Town.

Betting apps are also offering 16/1 on Tony Mowbray returning to the club for a third spell in charge, which seems far less likely.

The 62-year-old was sacked by the club in April 2025 after just three months of his second spell in charge. He replaced Corberan almost 16 years after he left The Hawthorns for Celtic, but managed just five wins in his 18 games in charge to all but end their chance of reaching the play-offs.

Who else could make the move?

Gary O’Neill, Russell Martin and Brian Barry-Murphy also make the shortlist, but have all been heavily linked with moves elsewhere.

Former Wolves and Bournemouth boss O’Neill and current Cardiff boss Barry-Murphy have both been among the names to replace Liam Rosenior at French club Strasbourg.

Cardiff currently sit top of League One with 16 wins from their opening 24 games, and Barry-Murphy, who began his coaching career with the Manchester City Elite Development Squad, is a highly regarded young coach.

He has distanced himself from the rumours, but it would be a difficult job to turn down when you see what it has led to for Rosenior.

Martin, who had a disastrous spell at Rangers, had been strongly linked with a return to management, replacing Wilfried Nancy at Columbus Crew. The Frenchman left the MLS side to take over at Celtic but his spell in Scotland was even less successful than Martin’s, and he was sacked on Monday after just eight games in charge.

Martin took Southampton up to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2024, but after picking up just six points in the Premier League and then lasting just 123 days at Ibrox, he needs to make the right move this time around.

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