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Next Middlesbrough manager odds: O’Neil favourite for Riverside return
Read the latest odds for the new Middlesbrough manager after boss Rob Edwards agreed a deal to move to Wolves
Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough are on the hunt for a new manager after boss Rob Edwards agreed to join Premier League club Wolves, and betting sites have already priced up the favourites to take over at the Riverside.
Edwards, who only joined the club in June, will be announced as new Wolves boss soon after agreeing a three-and-a-half year deal to take over as manager at the club he made over 100 appearances for between 2004 and 2008.
The former Luton boss had led Boro to second in the Championship before being stood down for their latest win over Birmingham last weekend, and while there is anger among fans at the nature of his departure, he leaves the club in good shape after 15 matches of the season.
However, while the new boss will have a decent platform at the Riverside, they’ll have plenty to do to try and ensure as smooth a transition as possible as they look to keep up Boro’s early promotion push, with the club currently priced at 13/8 in the latest Championship promotion odds.
The early picture of who might take over in Teesside is yet to fully form, though there are some interesting managers in the early running, with former Boro midfielder Gary O’Neil the early frontruner.
O’Neil is the current favourite on football betting sites, followed by club legend Tony Mowbray and Valencia boss Carlos Corberan.
The Spaniard has seen mixed success so far since taking over at his boyhood club, with Valencia currently sitting in 17th in LaLiga and only out of the relegation zone on goal difference, though he managed to steer the club clear of relegation last term.
Next Middlesbrough manager betting odds
Manager | Odds | Betting site |
|---|---|---|
Gary O’Neil | 2/1 | |
Tony Mowbray | 3/1 | |
Brian Barry-Murphy | 5/1 | |
Brendan Rodgers | 5/1 | |
Carlos Corberan | 6/1 | |
Steven Gerrard | 6/1 | |
Gareth Southgate | 8/1 |
O’Neil to return to the Championship?
Former Middlesbrough midfielder O’Neil has emerged as the early favourite to take over at the Riverside after the ex-Wolves boss turned down a return to the Molineux earlier this month.
O’Neil was widely tipped to make a return to Wolves, but the 42-year-old ruled himself out of the race, having decided that it was not the right time to return after holding talks with the club.
Instead, he has now become favourite to take over in Teesside, potentially making a return to the club where he played between 2007 and 2011.
However, while O’Neil remains the favourite it is not known whether he might see the Boro job as a step down from his time at Wolves, especially considering the fact that he did not feel a return to the Molineux was in his best interests at present. Nevertheless, perhaps he would rather be in charge of a side that looks like it will go up to the Premier League rather than one that looks doomed to relegation.
Middlesbrough legends in the running
Two club legends are in the running to take the Riverside hotseat, with both Tony Mowbray and Gareth Southgate priced as relative outsiders at present.
The 61-year-old Mowbray is 3/1 to make a return to Teesside and is currently out of work after leaving West Brom in April following a short stint at the Hawthorns.
With Middlesbrough in good form and a chance to take the club back to the top flight, this might be too good a chance for Mowbray to pass up if offered.
As for Southgate, it may seem difficult to see the ex-England manager returning to the second tier, though if there was any club he might do it for, it could be Middlesbrough.
Boro are the only club side he has managed, and they gave him the managerial platform for his success with the Three Lions, though with odds of 8/1, it’s apparent that the 55-year-old isn't a likely candidate, and he may well be hoping for a top-flight job when he does make a return to management.
Ex-Premier League bosses considered?
Two former Premier League managers being linked with the Boro job are Steven Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers has not been without a job for long, having resigned as Celtic manager just last month, and while the Irishman was successful in Scotland, it is unlikely that he would want to return to the second tier of English football.
As for Gerrard, the Middlesbrough job is one that would make more sense for the former Rangers boss as he bids to repair his reputation in management, with the ex-Liverpool midfielder having overseen disappointing spells with Aston Villa and Saudi side Al-Ettifaq since winning the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21.
Gerrard was linked with the Boro job the last time it became available, only for the north-east outfit to go for Edwards.
Valencia manager Corberan is another towards the top of the market on football betting apps, with the 42-year-old having impressed in spells in England while in charge of Huddersfield and West Brom, though it remains to be seen whether a manager born just 26km away from Valencia would leave the club while in crisis and fighting relegation to move to the Championship.
The last name at single figures is one of the more interesting ideas, with Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy supposedly under consideration too. The Irishman only took over the Welsh club in June but eight wins and four losses means they are well within the League One promotion fight at present, though it remains to be seen whether the Middlesbrough hierarchy would deem him ready for a job of this size, considering the Cardiff job is only his second proper role at club level.
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