Former England man among frontrunners for Sunderland vacancy

Rather unsurprisingly, David Moyes announced on Monday evening that he’d be resigning from his position of manager at recently relegated Sunderland. While fans will be glad to see the back of him, their attention has now turned to his potential successor.

But who will it be?

Despite being installed initially as a 14/1 outsider, former Black Cat Kevin Phillips has seen his odds slashed to just 15/2 in the last couple of days, and was even the 5/1 favourite for the vacancy for a short period on Tuesday night.

Our traders have responded to reports suggesting the retired striker is ready to take his first step into management, and he’d love that to be with the club he represented on 208 occasions, netting 113 goals in the process.

It’s a huge risk, given the forward’s inexperience in this field – but Phillips has spent the last two years as Derby County’s assistant, so he’d hardly be going it blindly.

Would fans want to see their former hero in the dugout?

Meanwhile, Nigel Pearson has been backed into favouritism, with 9/2 on offer for him to take over from Moyes. But reports this morning are suggesting Pearson is part of a three-man shortlist which has been drawn up at Middlesbrough, as the Teessiders look to find a replacement for interim boss Steve Agnew.

And despite being installed as the 9/2 favourite for the post, Ryan Giggs is now as long as 12/1 to become Sunderland’s next boss.

A Ladbrokes spokesperson said: “This market has fluctuated since Moyes first announced he’d be leaving the Stadium of Light. But as things stand it’s Super Kevin Phillips who we’re keeping an eye on.”

Ladbrokes Latest Betting

Next Sunderland Manager

Nigel Pearson – 9/2

Kevin Phillips – 15/2

Derek McInnes – 15/2

Roy Keane – 12/1

Ryan Giggs – 12/1

David Wagner – 14/1

Alan Pardew – 16/1

Roy Hodgson – 20/1

Garry Monk – 20/1

Paul Lambert – 20/1

Slavisa Jokanovic – 20/1

Claudio Ranieri – 25/1

Steve McClaren – 25/1

Sean Dyche – 33/1

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing