In a shock move, Watford Football Club controversially sacked manager Nigel Pearson after The Hornets 3-1 defeat at West Ham United yesterday.
In a culling virtually no sportsbettors could have seen coming, a Premier League manager being sacked shortly before the penultimate fixture of the football league season would be surprising enough. But for Pearson to be given his marching orders with Watford balanced precariously above the relegation zone is incredible and has not been seen in the English Premier League for years.
Watford (15/2) face Manchester City (4/11) tonight at Vicarage Road, but while they might have been looking to get after a Citizens side beaten on the road in three of their last four Premier League games, as well as in the F.A. Cup semi-final at the weekend against Arsenal, instead they will be shell-shocked.
As you can probably imagine, the betting market for who will inherit one of the hottest managerial seats in English football (none of their last half-dozen managers have lasted more than 56 games) is wide open.
An early favourite to take over the reins of a horse last seen galloping for the edge of the cliff is former Leicester and Southampton manager Claude Puel (6/4). It’s hard to imagine a more different manager for the Watford players to face. Pearson once stood up to a pack of literal wolves on holiday, fighting for his life. Given the same conundrum, Claude Puel might have been more likely to pull on the nearest harness and try to keep step with the leader of the pack. Telling Troy Deeney to face up to David Luiz in the final game of the season would look mouth-watering whether you’re a wolf or not.
Others in the running – managers not wolves – include the often bizarrely overlooked Chris Hughton (8/1 with SkyBet), recently dismissed from Huddersfield Danny Cowley (17/2) and Nottingham Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi (14/1), but it is perhaps the inclusion of Sam Allardyce in the market (best price 12/1) that has got punters depositing onto betting websites.
Allardyce has reportedly attracted over 40% of the entire money invested on the position thus far. Deeney to take on Allardyce after the sensational sacking of Nigel Pearson? La Liga or Bundelsiga can’t get anywhere near the glorious madness of the English Premier League.
Next Watford Manager (selected odds courtesy of Oddschecker.com):
Claude Puel – 6/4
Chris Hughton – 8/1
Danny Cowley – 17/2
Sam Allardyce – 12/1
Sabri Lamouchi – 14/1
Javi Gracia – 25/1
Steven Gerrard – 25/1
Rafa Benitez – 33/1
