
Leicester City have confirmed that the club will part ways with Ruud van Nistelrooy more than nine weeks after the Foxes’ relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.
The club says that the Dutchman’s departure was mutually agreed just seven months after he took over as manager at the King Power, with the 48-year-old having overseen just five wins and 19 defeats from his 27 matches in charge.
Betting sites have reacted to the news of van Nistelrooy’s departure by opening a market for the next Leicester manager, as the East Midlands club go in search for a manager ahead of their second season in the Championship in three years.
The Foxes could well be in PSR trouble next season, having been charged by the Football League for breaking financial rules, and despite having a solid squad on paper, the next man in the Leicester hotseat could have a difficult job on their hands.
The club will be looking to appoint a new head coach quickly with preseason preparations just around the corner, and former Everton boss Sean Dyche is the early favourite for the job, with football betting sites pricing the 53-year-old as low as 11/10 to take over at the King Power.
However, anything is possible as we’ve seen with the hire at several Premier League and Championship clubs this summer, so with new reports emerging all the time and plenty of movement possible in the next few days and weeks, we’ve taken a look at the leading contenders for the Leicester job.
Next Leicester Manager Odds
Manager |
Odds |
Betting site |
Sean Dyche |
11/10 |
|
Danny Rohl |
5/4 |
|
Michael Carrick |
4/1 |
|
Gary O’Neil |
16/1 |
|
Liam Rosenior |
16/1 |
|
Edin Terzic |
16/1 |
|
Chris Wilder |
20/1 |
|
David Wagner |
25/1 |
|
Steven Gerrard |
25/1 |
|
Ralph Hasenhuttl |
25/1 |
Note that according to the terms on most betting sites, “caretaker and interim managers completing at least 10 consecutive competitive games will be deemed the permanent manager”.
As mentioned above, former Burnley and Everton manager Dyche is the early betting favourite, with the Englishman perhaps willing to drop down a division to manage a talented Foxes side.
Dyche was sacked by Everton last season but has a solid track record of keeping teams in the Premier League, and was of course the man to return Burnley to the top flight for the first time since 2008/09, so he’d be a solid choice to take over at the King Power.
Nevertheless, current Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl is also in the running, priced as low as 5/4, with the German perhaps looking to leave the club after they had a transfer ban imposed by the EFL. Having finished 12th in the Championship last season, he certainly doesn't have the track record that Dyche possesses but did well at Hillsborough in trying circumstances.
Third in the running, at 4/1, sits former Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick. The ex-England midfielder left the Riverside in early June having finished just outside the play-off spots in 2024/25, though with an increased budget and better squad he could well mount a push for the Championship title next season if he ended up as Foxes manager, though again he is far less proven that Dyche at this level.
Next Leicester Manager Odds: Former Premier League and Championship bosses in the running
Other than Dyche, former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil is the most recent person to have managed in the Premier League, having departed Wolves midway into the 2024/25 season.
The Englishman has not worked at a club since that departure in December, and while his first two roles were at Premier League clubs, a chance to manage at Leicester in the division below could appeal to him. He’s offered at 16/1 in the early odds.
After him, there are seasoned Championship managers in the running, with Liam Rosenior and David Wagner priced at 16/1 and 25/1 to respectively. The former was let go by Hull despite almost making the play-offs in 2024, but having taken French side Strasbourg to European football, he’s unlikely to want to leave Ligue 1.
As for Wagner, he hasn’t managed since leading Norwich to the play-offs at the end of 2023/24, and while the opportunity at Leicester would probably suit a man who took Huddersfield to the Premier League, he is not seen as a likely hire.
And Chris Wilder is another name in the running at 20/1 having been dismissed by Sheffield United, though it is unknown if he would want to go straight back into promotion action with Leicester so soon after losing his past job.
Next Leicester Manager Odds: Outside shouts for King Power post
One of the most surprising managers on the list is former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, who took the club to the final of the Champions League in 2024. The German is priced at 16/1 to take over at the King Power, but it is assumed that a step down to a Championship club would surely not tempt him to return to management.
Former Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is priced at 25/1 on betting apps, and though a job like this could be the perfect change to rejuvenate his managerial career, it is unknown how keen the former Liverpool midfielder would be to take this particular role after leaving Al-Effitaq.
And moving into the even more surprising territory, former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is priced at 25/1, though having taken Wolfsburg to 12th in the Bundesliga last season, he’ll likely want to stay in a top-flight role somewhere in Europe.
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