Next Leicester City manager odds: Ruud van Nistelrooy favourite to replace Steve Cooper

Ruud van Nistelrooy is the favourite on betting sites to replace Steve Cooper as Leicester City manager following the Welshman’s dismissal at the King Power Stadium.

The sacking of Cooper after just five months and 15 games came with rumours of unrest in the dressing room, while fans were certainly not content with his style of play albeit the Foxes were sitting outside the relegation zone at the time of his exit.

Cooper won just three games in charge of the Foxes, and Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, and former boss Enzo Maresca, left with them 16th in the Premier League table.

Football betting sites have installed Van Nistelrooy as the favourite at best price of 7/2 to replace Cooper, although there are a number of strong candidates in the running, including two former Premier League managers.

The 48-year-old is looking for a new role after he was deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United following the arrival of new manager Ruben Amorim.

Van Nistelrooy was part of Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff, but was elevated into temporary charge of the club following the Dutchman’s dismissal. He oversaw three wins and one draw, including two victories over the Foxes.

First up was the 5-2 League Cup win at Old Trafford, before they followed it up with a 3-0 home win almost two weeks later, which turned out to be Van Nistelrooy’s last involvement at the club.

Following his retirement, Van Nistelrooy began his coaching career with former club PSV Eindhoven initially as a coach before taking charge of the Under 19s and then the first team in March 2022

However, Van Nistelrooy failed to see out the full season with PSV due to issues with club’s hierarchy, despite winning the Johan Cruyff Shield and KNVB Cup. The Dutchman is as short as 1/2 to succeed Cooper, but Leicester will certainly run the rule over a list of candidates.

Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter is among the contenders to replace Cooper with a price of just 4/1 on betting apps.

Potter has been out of work for 19 months out following his sacking by the Blues in April 2023. And although he has been linked with a number of vacancies, the 49-year-old has yet to take the plunge to return to the dugout.

He didn’t enjoy too much success at Chelsea, leaving the club in 11th place in the Premier League with 12 wins from his 31 games in charge. Despite his failure at Stamford Bridge, Potter still has plenty of credit left in the bank after his performances with Swansea and Brighton.

A 10th-place finish in the Championship and a run to the quarter-finals of the 2018–19 FA Cup was enough to convince the Seagulls to pay in the region of £3m in compensation to take him to the Amex in May 2019.

He helped shape the Brighton we see today, laying down solid foundations that has been built on by Roberto de Zerbi and now Fabian Hurzeler. Since winning the Premier League title in 2016, Leicester have had six permanent managers and would crave stability in the dugout. Could Potter be the man to provide it and keep the Foxes in the top flight.

Other names on Premier League betting sites include former West Ham boss David Moyes at 9/1.

The Scot restored his reputation with the Hammers and steered them to the Europa Conference League triumph in 2023. He would provide a safe pair of hands at the King Power Stadium, although the Leicester hierachy may have one eye on the future.

Two of the rising stars in the Championship are West Brom boss Carlos Corberan and Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick.

Corberan led the Baggies to the playoffs last season before losing out to Southampton, the second time he fell short in the playoffs in the second tier after losing to Cooper’s Nottingham Forest side in the 2022 final when in charge of Huddersfield.

Odds of 10/1 are available for the Spaniard to make the move from West Brom to Leicester.

Carrick also failed in the playoffs with Boro in 2023, losing to Coventry City in the semi-finals.

However, the former Manchester United coach has his side playing impressive football in a bid to challenge for promotion, although his odds of 20/1 suggest that a move to the Foxes is unlikely.

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