Tuesday 6 June 2017 09:39, UK
With five vacancies remaining in the top two tiers of English football, we look at the leading contenders for the positions.
Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Hull and Leeds all either sacked or lost their managers in late May and are yet to appoint replacements.
With all five clubs having had plenty of time to draw up shortlists, we look at the leading contenders, according to Sky Bet's manager markets...
Crystal Palace: Sean Dyche - 10/11 with Sky Bet
The Selhurst Park post is the only Premier League vacancy still to be filled after Watford moved swiftly to appoint Marco Silva, but it could create another one, with Burnley's Sean Dyche considered the 10/11 favourite for the job.
Reports have suggested that Dyche, who is the third longest serving manager in the top flight, is tempted by the move after leading the Clarets to promotion and then keeping them in the Premier League. Roy Hodgson is the 4/1 second favourite followed by Mauricio Pellegrino (7/1) and Slavisa Jokanovic (9/1).
Middlesbrough: Garry Monk - 1/4 with Sky Bet
Garry Monk is the clear favourite in what many predicted to be a straight swap with Aitor Karanka but, as we'll cover next, that no longer appears to be the case.
Monk's stock has risen significantly with his tenure at Leeds, even if it was soured slightly by a final-day failure to make the Sky Bet Championship play-offs, and he was also linked with the Watford and Palace vacancies. However, he is now short odds to be Steve Gibson's next appointment, with Steve Agnew 10/1 to retain the job after failing to lead Boro clear of relegation following Karanka's departure.
Leeds: Pep Clotet - 13/8 with Sky Bet
Aitor Karanka was installed as the early favourite for the Leeds job and retained his position at the head of the market for a number of days before reports emerged that he was not even in the running. Those initial links appear to have been based on the director of football appointment of Victor Orta, who Karanka brought to Boro, but have failed to materialise.
Karanka's drift to 6/1 was also caused by a surge of backing for Pep Clotet, with Monk's former assistant boss considered a popular appointment with Leeds supporters. The 7/2 second favourite Claudio Ranieri would also surely please the Elland Road faithful, while Alan Pardew is also now shorter odds than Karanka at 5/1.
Hull: Leonid Slutsky - 1/5 with Sky Bet
The most recent big movement in the markets has been Leonid Slutsky's backing for the Hull job, with his odds plummeting from 13/8 on Monday morning. The former Russia boss has been looking to move into English football since leaving CSKA Moscow last season, already learning the langue and attending a host of games.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has supported his quest, as Slutsky explained to Sky Sports' Gary Cotterill, with the prospect of attracting some of the 38 players sent out on loan by the Blues likely to add to his appeal. Garry Monk sits second in the market at 5/1 followed by 12/1 shot Nigel Adkins.
Sunderland: Derek McInnes - 6/4 with Sky Bet
The one job which has lacked a sustained favourite is the Sunderland vacancy. Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes has been the most prominent contender but has rarely dipped into odds-on, with Ryan Giggs, Nigel Pearson, Kevin Phillips and Simon Grayson all having their spells of strong backing.
Grayson is the latest to attract interest, prompting his price to come in from 16/1 to 2/1, while Pearson is now the only other single-figure fancy.
