David Beckham is about to become a free agent again and the 37-year old is looking at his “final challenge” after his stint with the Los Angeles Galaxy comes to an end. Seeing as every time something remotely of interest happens to Becks, his impending move has drawn quite a bit of attention from all corners of the world. Even Australia. Even China. Even Brazil.
And yes, even with the oddsmakers.
Judging by the level of interest being thrown Becks’ way, the odds-on favorite to land the charismatic football star is Ligue 1’s resident deep-pocketed team, Paris Saint-Germain. The Qatar-funded French club has been in the headlines recently in large part because of their overtures to Beckham. As such, they’ve become the favorites to land the Englishman, getting 6/4 odds and 11/4 odds from SkyBet and Paddy Power, respectively.
While PSG appears to be on the inside track to sign Beckham, a number of other teams from clubs from all over the world have shown varying levels of interest. QPR has also thrown their name into the mix with the English Premier League team now getting 4/1 odds. Those numbers could have been influenced by QPR manager Harry Redknapp’s recently going on record saying that Beckham could be an important player that keeps the team contending in the EPL.
“He’s a top fantastic player,” Redknapp said recently. “We had him training at Tottenham and it was amazing (to have him) round the place. He is absolute class. David could still be a great asset to anyone. Just having him round the place, showing people how to train and look after yourself. His professionalism is second to none.”
Moving away from France and England, Beckham’s name has also been thrown around by teams from halfway around the world , including China, Australia, and even the MLS.
Two A-League teams from Australia, Perth Glory and Melbourne Hearts, have been priced at 12/1 and 14/1, respectively. The latter, in particular, have been aggressive in their pursuit of Beckham, going so far as to teaming up with Crown Casino to ensure that the footballer gets all the best accommodations in the city.
Meanwhile, China’s Shanghai Shenhua also received 12/1 odds while the New York Red Bulls have also been given short odds at 10/1.
Long shot odds to land Beckham include Scottish Premier League powerhouse Celtic at 18/1, Tottenham at 25/1, Serie A’s AC Milan also at 25/1, and the A-League’s Central Coast Mariners at 33/1.
For now, though, it looks like PSG’s race to lose and while no announcement has been made, we won’t be surprised if Beckham makes Paris his next address.
