Former Chelsea manager and midfielder Frank Lampard is among the bookmakers’ favourites to become the next Newcastle boss.
The Magpies are currently searching for a new manager after Steve Bruce was sacked on Wednesday morning.
The managerial change comes as part of the new ownership regime at St. James’ Park, with a takeover completed mid-October which ousted unpopular owner Mike Ashley after 14-years in charge of the club.
The new owners are part of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia which is tasked with investing the profits of oil on the behalf of the government. It is believed to be valued at £315bn, the most lucrative ownership in the Premier League by a distance.
Bruce’s last game in charge of his boyhood club was his 1000th match as a manager, losing 3-2 to Tottenham at home.
The current favourite for the job is Paulo Fonseca, the former Roma boss who was heavily linked with a move to Spurs in the summer before Nuno Espirito Santo took charge.
Second favourite is ex-Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe before Lucien Favre - whose last role was with Borussia Dortmund - and then Frank Lampard.
Ex-Liverpool captain and current Rangers boss Steven Gerrard rounds out the top five current favourites for the job full-time.
If Lampard, 43, were to take the helm at Newcastle, it would be his third job in management. His first was at Derby County, where he guided the Rams to a sixth placed finish and a play-off final with the likes of Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.
The play-off final defeat to Aston Villa would be his final game in charge of the Rams before he joined Chelsea in the summer.
Despite working under the limitations of a transfer ban, Lampard guided his side to a fourth-placed finish and narrowly missed out on an FA Cup triumph at the hands of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
The manager was then given money to invest in his squad after the transfer ban was lifted but after a poor start in the league, he was eventually replaced by Thomas Tuchel and has not had a job in management since.
