Hearts were broken in Cardiff as the Republic of Ireland spoiled the party; a single goal eliminated the Welsh from World Cup qualification leaving the future of some players and more focally the manager Chris Coleman up in the air. What Are The Odds looks at the potential candidates to take on the helm, leading the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey into Euro 2020 qualification.
It’s the former Manchester United and Wales winger Ryan Giggs who currently leads the market with bookmaker BetVictor with odds of 9/2 (5.50). Giggs has been out of the game since departing United with Louis van Gaal - with the Welshman looking to cut his teeth as manager himself, however the search for a job has not gone to plan and despite being linked with a host of jobs for one reason or another it hasn’t happened. So would Wales who have made significant progress in the last few years turn to a rookie manager to help push their fortunes on to further tournament qualifications?
If the Football Association of Wales want tried and trusted, yet unspectacular, they could look to another frontrunner - Kenny Jackett. The current Portsmouth manager has been a solid choice for clubs in the Football League, managing the likes of Wolves, Swansea, Millwall and Watford. With 31-caps for Wales and having experienced success in Swansea when they were in the lower leagues, Jackett would be able to identify and associate clearly with the Welsh ethos going forward. However, would Jackett be able to translate lower league management to the top stars in the Welsh side? Odds of 5/1 (6.00) suggests the move has legs but may just be one to watch at this current time.
Would Stoke boss Mark Hughes fancy another crack at the Welsh job? Having been one of the most successful bosses, just missing out on qualification in the playoffs for Euro 2004 - Hughes would be a popular choice. However, it would seem unlikely at this stage that he would leave a Premier League club for national management and no competitive games until this time next year.
Tony Pulis is another man with the same odds of Hughes at 6/1 (7.00) with the West Brom boss also unlikely to step aside from the Premier League now. However, if Wales were to appoint a temporary charge until next summer then it could leave the door open to a Hughes or Pulis to take on the national job ahead of Euro 2020 qualifying matches.
A couple of interesting outside bets may be 16/1 (17.0) on Harry Redknapp or 20/1 (21.0) on current Norway manager Lars Lagerback - the Swede famously took Iceland to the Euro 2016 quarterfinals, knocking out England in the process.
Probability of next Wales manager
| Next Manager | Next Wales Manager Odds | Probability | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Giggs | 9/2 | 18.18% | |
| Kenny Jackett | 5/1 | 16.67% | |
| Mark Hughes | 6/1 | 14.29% | |
| Tony Pulis | 6/1 | 14.29% | |
| Dean Saunders | 12/1 | 7.69% | |
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