Next Sheffield United manager
Paul Heckingbottom has been sacked as manager of Sheffield United! This comes as a surprise to nobody after the dreadful form of the Yorkshire side this season. The Blades sit rooted to the bottom of the table with 11 defeats in 14 Premier League games and 39 goals conceded in 14 games. Heckingbottom may have survived in the role if the manner of the defeats weren't as bad, 5-0 defeats to Burnley and Arsenal and an 8-0 defeat to Newcastle United made it incredibly difficult for Sheffield United to keep Paul Heckingbottom in his role.
As the first Premier League manager to be sacked, it begs the question of who will replace him. The early odds show Chris Wilder is the most likely candidate - but will the Blades go back to their former boss?
Next Sheffield United manager odds
Chris Wilder reuniting with the Blades may well be the best thing for both parties, since leaving Sheffield United in March 2021, he has won just 21 of the 56 games he has had in charge of Middlesbrough and Watford, which is a win percentage of just 37.5% - before leaving the Blades, the lowest Wilder had anywhere was 38.5% in his 312 games at Halifax Town. In the 2022/23 season, Wilder won just five out of 22 games across two clubs with Premier League aspirations, no where near his usual level of performance.
Meanwhile, Wilder led Sheffield United to their best ever Premier League finish in 2019/20 where they finished ninth and if they had won any of their final three games against Leicester City, Everton or Southampton, they would have finished above Arsenal, the difference between the two sides now is clear to see but at this point, only two points separated the sides after 38 games. In-fact, the league was so tight, the Blades finished just 12 points off the Champions League and would have made the Europa League if they hadn't dropped six points to relegated teams.
Wilder is a Sheffield United fan and the opportunity to help his boyhood club stay in the Premier League could be too much for him to turn down.
Who are the outsiders to take on the Sheffield United manager role?
If Chris Wilder isn't the number one choice to take on the role, like our manager odds initially suggest, then here are a few names that could potentially take on the role.
Dean Smith
There was a spell where Dean Smith was being tipped for big things. An exceptional spell laying the groundwork for what Brentford have become was followed by a solid couple of seasons in charge of Aston Villa. However, the Aston Villa board decided that Smith hadn't improved the side following the sale of star player Jack Grealish to Manchester City. Smith has taken the role of manager at Norwich City and Leicester City since then and has ultimately failed with both clubs, leading both to relegation.
Sometimes all a manager needs to get their mojo back is a couple of months R&R, could that be the case for Dean Smith?
Jesse Marsch
Many believe that if Leeds United kept Jesse Marsch at the club, they'd be facing Manchester City and Liverpool this season instead of Rotherham and Huddersfield. The former Leeds United manager was joked at with comparisons to the TV show Ted Lasso. However, after leading Leeds to victory against the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool, Marsch proved a lot of doubters wrong and would likely still do an excellent job in the Premier League if given the job in Yorkshire.
Carlos Corberan
West Bromwich Albion are a side who have quietly gone about their business in the Championship this season and sit in 5th position in the league. Only Leicester City have conceded less goals than the Baggies and as Sheffield United look to solidify their defence - they could well turn to the Baggies manager who has a 49% win rate at the club. There are some manager odds that look a little outrageous but this one, this is a move that makes a lot more sense the deeper you look into it.
Next Premier League Manager to be sacked
There is nothing to say that whoever takes over at Bramall Lane won't be the next manager to be sacked. Erik Ten Hag could be at risk of losing his role at Manchester United and the next manager odds don't look particularly favourable for the likes of Steve Cooper, Vincent Kompany and more. Remember if Sheffield United appoint an interim manager, they won't be included in the next manager to be sacked odds.
