Eaton Thatcher
And just like that, Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare has been sacked just eight games into the 2017-18 season. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Shakespeare took over as caretaker when Claudio Ranieri (the man who led the team on the greatest fairy-tale run in sporting history) was fired in February, but wasn’t able to refurbish the Foxes’ den. Leicester City finished last season relatively strongly under Shakespeare, but are 1-3-4 this season and sitting in the relegation zone.
Leicester are just one of many underperforming teams, though, so this could be the start of a gruesome managerial bloodbath. Who will be the next to go?
Odds on next EPL manager fired
Ronald Koeman (Everton): 9/11
After losing four of their last six league games, Everton are toiling in 16th place in the Premier League. That’s a far cry from last season’s seventh-place finish.
It’s true that nothing could’ve been done about the departure of star striker Romelu Lukaku. He had outgrown the club and Everton didn’t have the means to retain him. But they should have tried to find a suitable more suitable replacement, instead of bringing home the aging Wayne Rooney for a brief feel-good moment. Now the homecoming party is over and they’re forced to deal with the consequences.
If something doesn’t drastically change, Koeman will be forced out.
Slaven Bilic (West Ham): 17/3
West Ham spent a total of €45.4 million over the summer, picking up top Stoke goalscorer Marko Arnautovic, former Man United star Chicharito, and England keeper Joe Hart. So why are they currently just two points away from relegation?
Arnautovic, who broke the club transfer fee at €23.3 million, has yet to score his first league goal with the Hammers and Chicharito is doing the best he can with the little he’s given. At the other end of the pitch, Joe Hart has never had to work harder in his life.
Despite the dismal start, Bilic remains hopeful about West Ham’s future. But does West Ham’s future hold a place for Bilic?
Arsene Wenger (Arsenal): 35/1
If the fate of managers were decided by public opinion, Arsene Wenger would have already been sent packing. Arsenal are currently wallowing in sixth place and will be lucky to end the season within the top four. Morale is low, both in the stands and on the pitch. The players are despondent, the fans are furious, and the club is in disarray. But still, Wenger remains.
The name “Arsene Wenger” has become inseparable from Arsenal. Throughout his 20 years with the club, he has propelled the Gunners to dizzying heights and has become one of the most decorated managers in the history of the sport. Now he’s at a low point, but the ownership is allowing him to decide his own fate. We can yell #WengerOut all we want, but it won’t make a difference.
Roy Hodgson (Crystal Palace): 40/1
The manager of the worst team in the league pretty much has to be on the list, but Roy Hodgson is actually relatively safe. Why? Because he just got here. Hodgson took over Palace in mid-September when the team was 0-4 and still hadn’t scored a goal. Early returns were … exactly the same: the team lost its first three under the former England manager and was still goal-less after seven fixtures. To be fair, Hodgson doesn’t deserve much much blame for that. He had no time to readjust for early tests against Manchester City (5-0) or Manchester United (4-0). But he managed to stop the bleeding in spectacular fashion last weekend, as Palace pulled a huge 2-1 upset over Chelsea. If that doesn’t secure his job for the near future, I don’t know what would.
