Next Manchester City Manager Odds: Michel Favourite To Replace Guardiola

Manchester City's awful run of form continued at the weekend as they went down 2-1 to Aston Villa in Saturday's early game.

City have now lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions and the result sees City drop to seventh place in the table.

The latest loss also piles the pressure on manager Pep Guardiola, who is on the worst run of his managerial career.

City are 12 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and betting sites are continually updating their odds on who will replace Guardiola in City's dugout.

Guardiola recently signed a new contract keeping him at the Etihad until 2027, which ended speculation about how long he would remain as City boss.

Taking over from Guardiola will be one of the toughest jobs in football, but a number of candidates are waiting in the wings to replace the Spaniard.

Following the defeat to Villa, Guardiola said: "We have nice personalities in the team and, sooner or later, we are going to find it.

"We have good moments, we had chances, more chances than in the Manchester United game, but in the second half we dropped and our pressing was not good enough.

"We struggled a little bit and we could not drop them well. We found a goal in the end, but too late. We struggle to score and we concede goals."

Two managers top the market to replace Guardiola, if there were to be a change of manager for one reason or another.

Michel Might Be The Man To Replace Pep

Michel has done a wonderful job at Girona, taking them up into La Liga from the second tier of Spanish football and then securing a sensational top-four finish. 

As a result of that achievement, Girona are currently playing Champions League football for the first time in their history.

The club from Catalonia are part of the City Football Group network, so it is relatively easy for deals to be done between the two teams (Savinho moved to the Etihad Stadium from Girona last summer).

Girona are in eighth place, 16 points behind leaders Atletico, as they juggle Champions League fixtures with their league commitments. 

It is therefore not a surprise to see that Michel is considered the favourite to succeed Guardiola, with football betting sites offering odds of 5/2.

Next Permanent Manchester City Manager - Odds

Alonso Second Favourite For Etihad Job

Xabi Alonso was widely expected to take charge of either Bayern Munich, Liverpool or Real Madrid earlier this year. 

In the end, though, the Spaniard opted to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for at least one more year, but the German club’s fans are expecting Alonso to move on at some point soon.

Leverkusen are second in the Bundesliga, four points behind reigning champions and current leaders Bayern Munich.

The former midfielder is a talented manager and he would be a good fit for Manchester City. 

However, he may well leave Leverkusen at the end of this season, so much depends on how long Guardiola sticks around. As such, Alonso is a 7/2 shot to replace Guardiola.

Kompany Would Be A Popular Choice With City Fans

Vincent Kompany oversaw Burnley’s relegation to the Championship last term, but that did not prevent him from being handed the reins at Bayern Munich. 

The Belgian is off to a positive start in Bavaria, with Bayern top of the Bundesliga after 15 games.

However, they are 10th in the Champions League standings and still have a bit of work to do if they are to finish in the top eight which guarantees automatic progress to the last 16.

Kompany is a Manchester City legend and he would be a popular pick with the club’s supporters if he were asked to replace Guardiola. 

The former defender is available in this market at 10/1 on betting apps.

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Zidane In No Rush To Return To Management

Zinedine Zidane is a 12/1 shot to replace Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. 

Out of work since leaving Real Madrid for a second time in 2021, the former attacking midfielder appears to be holding out for the France job. 

However, his iconic status within the game would arguably make him a smart selection to succeed the era-defining Guardiola.

Guardiola Has Spoken Warmly Of De Zerbi 

Guardiola has spoken openly of his admiration for Roberto De Zerbi, who led Brighton to a sixth-place finish in the 2023/24 Premier League season. 

Now at Marseille, De Zerbi no doubt has ambitions to manage a club like Manchester City one day.

Marseille look to be one of Paris Saint-Germain's rivals for the Ligue 1 title this season, but his side are 10 points behind the defending French champions. 

The passionate Italian is priced at 16/1 to be next through the door at City after Guardiola.

Nagelsmann Will Return To Club Game One Day

Available at the same odds is Julian Nagelsmann, who presently leads the Germany national team. 

There is little chance of him departing that role before the 2026 World Cup, but by that point Nagelsmann will probably be itching to return to the club game. 

Right now, though, he is an outsider at 16/1 for the Manchester City job post-Guardiola.

Others in contention include Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness (25/1), Newcastle boss Eddie Howe (25/1) and PSG's Luis Enrique (25/1).

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who was an assistant under Guardiola, is also a 25/1 shot to be City's next manager.