NEXT ASTON VILLA MANAGER BETTING ODDS PLUS MESUT OZIL SET FOR BARCELONA TRANSFER

No doubt about the biggest news of today. Aston Villa begin their search for a new manager following the, quite literally, jaw-dropping news that Martin O’Neill had resigned as manager with just five days to go until the start of the new Premier League season.
USA manager Bob Bradley has emerged as the clear betting favourite with all of the bookmakers, Stan James offering a best price of 7/2. Although the reasoning behind him being made favourite is a sound one – the combination of an American chairman and manager would certainly raise the club’s profile stateside – to appoint a manager that has no experience outwith USA would be extremely risky.
In fact, a glance down the list of possible contenders offers very little in the way of stand-out candidates. I like the look of Ottmar Hitzfeld who is one of very few managers to have won the Champions League on multiple occasions; however the odds of 120.0 that are currently available on Betfair are quite off putting.
The reality is that until we hear any news from the Aston Villa board everything we talk about is just guesswork. For that reason I would avoid the short odds on Bradley, but at the same time I wouldn’t personally offer up any other bet as an alternative. Best to slow-play this one and wait and see how things pan out over the next few days and weeks.
Skybet have released a related market on where Martin O’Neill will next be employed. They make England the 2/1 favourites, Manchester United 9/2 and a return to Celtic 5/1. Whilst I would agree with him being favoured by both the English FA and Manchester United board should the relevant positions become vacant, I think such opportunities are a long way off, whilst a return to Glasgow would be a backward step in his career.
Elsewhere, reports in the Spanish media are today claiming that a deal has been agreed in principle between Barcelona and Werder Bremen regarding midfielder Mesut Ozil. The 21-year-old is thought to have been a target for both Manchester United and Chelsea but will now be joining the Spanish champions after they failed in their attempts to sign Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal.