Next Cambridge United Manager Odds: Cowley Tops The Odds For U's Role

Cambridge United are on the lookout for a new manager and the best betting sites have opened a market on who will succeed Mark Bonner.

A 3-0 defeat by Lincoln City in midweek was the final straw for the Cambridge board, who called time on Bonner’s four-year tenure on Wednesday. 

The former manager signed a new long-term contract at the Abbey Stadium in September, but Cambridge have decided to pull the trigger with the side currently 18th in League One.

“In football, sometimes you do have to make decisions you believe are right for the long-term future of the club - difficult though they can sometimes be,” said club owner Paul Barry.

Who will be next through the door? You can find the latest odds below, after which we will take a closer look at the contenders.

Cowley Leads Market For Next Cambridge Boss

Danny Cowley is the 4/1 favourite with football betting sites to land the Cambridge job. 

He was most recently in charge of Portsmouth, taking over in 2021 and winning six of his first 12 matches at the helm.

But Pompey were inconsistent for most of Cowley’s time at Fratton Park and he was dismissed in January with the team 12th in League One.

Still, Cowley did some excellent work in his previous jobs, chiefly across a three-year spell with Lincoln. 

He is known to be a good man-manager and an energetic coach who would probably lift the spirits of the Cambridge players following a tricky run of form. It is no surprise he is among the top candidates.

Cotterill And Harris Both Looking For New Job

Steve Cotterill is next on the list at 5/1 with Parimatch. The 59-year-old has vast managerial experience having taken charge of his first club way back in the mid-1990s. 

His most recent role was with Shrewsbury Town, whom he led to a 12th-place finish in League One - their best performance in five years - in 2022/23.

Cotterill is waiting for his next opportunity and he may well be interested in the Cambridge job, should he be offered it.

Neil Harris, priced at 8/1, was sacked by Gillingham last month. A three-match winless run brought the curtain down on his tenure at the Priestfield Stadium after the club fell out of the League Two play-off spots. 

Harris has Championship experience and could be a coach that Cambridge want to talk to as they seek a successor to Bonner.

Ainsworth And Richardson Could Be Contenders

Gareth Ainsworth only lasted for eight months at Queens Park Rangers, who fired their former winger in October after a six-game losing streak. 

Given that things did not work out at Loftus Road, the fear will be that Ainsworth cannot thrive away from Wycombe Wanderers, the side with whom he enjoyed so much success.

Ainsworth’s direct style of play is not to everyone’s tastes either, but he did a fantastic job with Wycombe and clearly has coaching acumen. He can be backed at 8/1 to take over at the Abbey Stadium.

Leam Richardson - who is linked with the Rotherham United manager’s job - is priced at a slightly longer 10/1. 

He is presently out of work but previously guided Wigan Athletic to the League One title and could be on Cambridge’s radar.

Robinson And Morison Among The Dark Horses

Karl Robinson was Oxford United manager for five years before losing his job in February of this year. 

He briefly worked as Sam Allardyce’s assistant at Leeds United but is now looking for a new position, presumably as a frontline manager. 

Robinson is a bright coach and although he is still only 43 years old, he has been in management since beginning a spell in charge of MK Dons in 2010. He is available at 10/1 with BetVictor.

Steve Morison, down at 12/1, could be another potential candidate. The former Cardiff City boss took the surprise step of dropping down to the Isthmian League with Hornchurch over the summer.

Bowyer And Taylor Not Likely Right Now

Lee Bowyer and Matt Taylor look like relative long shots at 12/1 and 14/1 respectively with betting apps. 

The former was only recently installed as the new head coach of the Montserrat national team and a chance to manage Cambridge is presumably not appealing enough to entice him away from his more exotic role.

Matt Taylor successfully kept Rotherham United in the Championship last term after taking over from Paul Warne. 

However, he was sacked earlier this season with the club sitting in the relegation zone of the second tier. 

He has been linked with other jobs since then but remains out of work at the time of writing.