Unai Emery has been cut into odds-on favouritism to be the next Premier League manager to leave, with the Arsenal boss now 2/5 to be sacked as Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has emerged as favourite to replace him.
Conflicting reports have been circulating in the media over the last couple of days, with some suggestions that Emery has been given three games to save his job, while fresh press speculation on Wednesday linked Santo with the job.
It's also emerged that Emery has cancelled a planned appearance at a London university on Friday due to all the negativity surrounding his current tenure at the Emirates.
The Gunners have just one Europa League win over Vitoria Guimaraes, and a nervy 3-2 success at that, in their last eight games, and a disappointing 2-2 draw with Southampton at the Emirates at the weekend cranked up the pressure on the Spaniard.
Talk of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang not wanting to sign a new contract among the uncertainty is also not helping the situation, and following reports Everton would stick with Marco Silva for now, all eyes, and money, is now on Emery leaving next.
Next Premier League manager to leave
- 2/5 Unai Emery
- 4/1 Marco Silva
- 9/2 Manuel Pellegrini
- 14/1 Quique Sanchez Flores
- 33/1 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | Ralph Hasenhuttl | Steve Bruce
Soccer Saturday pundit Charlie Nicholas told Sporting Life that it will be the fans who will decide Emery’s future, with the club not really wanting to pull the trigger if they don’t have to.
“It will not be the board or committee who will get rid of him, it will be the power and persuasion from the fans. They like the young players and like the idea of attack but cannot see how they have improved defensively.
“The goal difference tells that story. If you are looking at it realistically, the other contenders in the sack race are better off than the Arsenal coach. It doesn’t necessarily make him the favourite in my eyes but he is under scrutiny, so he is in a three-game scenario.”
A surprise favourite to replace Emery, should he leave, is Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who is the odds-on favourite to take the hot seat in north London.
Jose Mourinho had been rumoured before he took the reins at derby rivals Tottenham, and there have even been a few calls for former Spurs man Mauricio Pochettino to make the rarely-trodden path across north London.
Gunners fans, becoming disillusioned with the apparent lack of difference from the final Arsene Wenger years to the current regime, are crying out for change and would even turn to the manager of their most hated rivals to turn things around.
Next Arsenal manager
- 10/11 – Nuno Espirito Santo
- 4/1 - Freddie Ljungberg | Massimiliano Allegri
- 6/1 - Mauricio Pochettino
Arsenal are in eighth in the table, above Manchester United and Tottenham, but still eight points behind the top four and there seems little chance of overhauling that deficit in their current form.
The Gunners travel to Norwich on Sunday in the Premier League after hosting Eintracht Frankfurt in Thursday's Europa League - when the Arsenal fans will no doubt show their feelings towards Emery should the game not go to plan.
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