Middlesbrough boss now joint-favourite with Ranieri in Sack Race
Published:
Well this wasn’t supposed to happen. Despite spending some £40m on transfers this season, welcoming Champions League and Premier League winners to the Riverside, Middlesbrough now find themselves just one point above the drop zone, having failed to win any of their last seven games.
It’s no surprise then to see Aitor Karanka now the 2/1 joint-favourite with Claudio Ranieri in the Sack Race.
And having scored just three goals in roughly 720 minutes of top-flight football, it’s thought fans are growing frustrated with the team’s inability to to find the net on a consistent basis.
As we covered yesterday, Boro are now just 13/10 for the drop – something which could be a very realistic end to their campaign the way things are going right now.
As for the Sack Race, David Moyes has pulled away from the head of the market following a crucial four points picked up in Sunderland’s last two outings. And although Leciester City are very much in a relegation scrap, they surely can’t sack Ranieri before the end of the season after everything he achieved with the team last campaign.
Walter Mazzarri was right in the mix just four games ago. But an unbeaten run since then, including victory against Arsenal, has seen Watford climb up to 10th in the table – and his position looks safe for now.
Elsewhere, Southampton boss Claude Puel is a 10/1 shot for the chop next following just one win in the Saints’ last outings.
In fact, you’d have to say that this is where the value could lie if results don’t improve in the coming weeks – especially when you consider the south-coast outfit achieved a remarkable sixth-placed finish last campaign under Ronald Koeman.
They’re now a 125/1 shot to do the same again this year, emphasising just how poor this season has been so far.
This weekend could prove pivotal in the Sack Race. Boro face high-flying Everton, and Karanka knows another defeat could just trigger the board to take action.
Ladbrokes Latest Betting
Next Premier League Manager to Leave:
Aitor Karanka – 2/1
Claudio Ranieri – 2/1
Walter Mazzarri – 10/1
Claude Puel – 10/1
David Moyes – 11/1
Sam Allardyce – 12/1
14/1 bar
Click here for a full list of Sack Race odds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
