New Southampton manager odds arrive as surprising name comes up after urgent meeting
Some surprise names are being talked about as favorites to take over as Southampton manager after Tonda Eckert.
Eckert took the blame for the spygate scandal that led to Southampton being kicked out of the Championship play-offs by the EFL. The Saints admitted to spying on three clubs during the season, including Middlesbrough just before their play-off semi-final.
Southampton won that semi-final and were set to face Hull City in the final. But after Middlesbrough’s successful complaint, they’ve been put back in to play Hull on Saturday instead.
It looks like Eckert will be sacked soon and might also face more punishment from the FA for damaging the game’s reputation. On Thursday morning around 11am, he held his first meeting with the players since the penalty was announced.
Reports say Eckert told the hearing he didn’t know spying was against the rules. The club even showed footage from before the scandal broke to argue that the spying didn’t affect his tactics for the semi-final first leg.
The Daily Mail also reports that some Southampton players might take legal action against the club over a bonus of £250,000 each if they had been promoted to the Premier League.
With all this drama, Southampton’s leaders will need to focus quickly on the new season and probably appoint a new manager soon.
According to BetVictor, Scott Parker is the favorite at 5/1 to become Southampton’s next boss after leaving Burnley. Parker, a former Tottenham and England midfielder, has earned a reputation for helping teams like Fulham, Bournemouth, and Burnley get promoted to the Premier League.
In a surprise, John Mousinho, who manages Southampton’s rivals Portsmouth, is the joint second favorite at 6/1, along with former Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior. Rosenior has been linked with Watford’s vacant manager role, but they seem to be talking to Lech Poznan’s boss Niels Frederiksen instead.
Steven Gerrard is also on the list at 12/1 to return to management after leaving Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq in January.
Here are some of the favorites from BetVictor:
– Scott Parker (Unattached) – 5/1
– John Mousinho (Portsmouth) – 6/1
– Liam Rosenior (Unattached) – 6/1
– Sean Dyche (Unattached) – 8/1
– Lee Carsley (England U21) – 10/1
– Brian Barry-Murphy (Cardiff) – 10/1
– Gary Rowett (Leicester) – 10/1
– Tommy Elphick (Bournemouth coach) – 12/1
– Ralph Hasenhuttl (Unattached) – 12/1
– Steven Gerrard (Unattached) – 12/1
– Slaven Bilic (Unattached) – 12/1