Bristol City will appoint a new permanent head coach ahead of the 2026/27 campaign after Roy Hodgson’s interim tenure
Steven Gerrard, Russell Martin and John Mousinho have all been linked with Bristol City(Image: Getty Images)
Former Southampton and Swansea City boss Russell Martin has emerged as the early bookies’ favourite to take over as Bristol City’s new head coach after Roy Hodgson’s final game in interim charge of the Robins.
Former England, Liverpool and Inter Milan manager Hodgson was tasked with guiding the Reds through the final seven matches of the Championship campaign back in March, after the decision was taken to sack head coach Gerhard Struber and his assistant Bernd Eibler.
From the moment he arrived in the West Country, Hodgson has been clear that he doesn’t intend to remain in post beyond his caretaker tenure. In their release confirming Struber’s sacking, City confirmed their yet-to-be-announced sporting director would lead the search for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
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With the season now over following Saturday’s final-day win over Stoke City, supporters have begun to put forward their picks for Struber’s permanent successor. Furthermore, bookmakers have now begun to publish odds over who will be next to take to the BS3 dugout.
Martin, who has been out of work since leaving Rangers in October of last year, is the early favourite, having been priced at 3/1 at the time of writing.
Having started his coaching career at MK Dons in 2019, the 40-year-old enjoyed a two-year spell at Swansea before taking charge of Southampton, with whom he won promotion to the Premier League, via the play-offs, in 2024. He left St Mary’s in December of the same year.
Another former Rangers boss – Steven Gerrard – and Portsmouth’s John Mousinho are second favourites at 4/1. Reports last week suggested that Gerrard was ‘in the frame’ for the position at Ashton Gate, while Mousinho has labelled links with a move to the West Country as “flattering” in recent days.
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Gerrard’s last job in management saw him move to Saudi Arabia, where he took charge of Al-Ettifaq. He left the Middle East in January 2025 and has since been linked with both a return to Ibrox and, more recently, the vacancy at Burnley. Mousinho, who took charge at Fratton Park in January 2023, guided Pompey to Championship safety once again this term.
Just behind that pairing, former Swansea, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City boss Steve Cooper is in the mix at 8/1. The current Brøndby IF head coach is followed by two other ex-Foxes managers in Gary Rowett and Ruud van Nistelrooy – and Tony Mowbray – who sit at 12/1.
Then, the odds start to get even longer with a handful of alternative names also linked. Carlos Corberan, Liam Rosenior, Marti Cifuentes and Craig Bellamy are all priced at 16/1, while Leighton Baines, Dave Challinor and Michael Skubala are outsiders at 20/1.
Finally, there are a whole host of names that feature in both the 25/1 and 33/1 brackets. A popular suggestion amongst some supporters, Lee Carsley, sits in that first group – alongside the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Wayne Rooney and former Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke.
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Of course, as always, bookmakers’ odds, particularly in the smaller markets, have to be taken with a pinch of salt, especially when it comes to managerial searches.
The Robins are yet to provide an indication of just where they are in their hunt for a new head coach. Such a timeframe may become more obvious when the appointment of the new sporting director is confirmed.
Bookies favourites to be next Bristol City manager in full*
- Russell Martin – 3/1
- Steven Gerrard, John Mousinho – 4/1
- Steve Cooper – 8/1
- Ruud van Nistelrooy, Tony Mowbray, Gary Rowett – 12/1
- Craig Bellamy, Darren Ferguson, Brian Barry Murphy, Liam Rosenior, Alan Sheehan, Carlos Corberan, Marti Cifuentes – 16/1
- Darren Moore, John O’Shea, Leighton Baines, Dave Challinor, Michael Skubala, Graham Alexander, Karl Robinson, Kevin Muscat – 20/1
- Darrell Clarke, Robbie Keane, Lee Grant, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Robbie Savage, Lee Carsley, Chris Coleman, Ralph Hasenhüttl, Will Still, Neil Critchley, Paddy McCarthy, Bo Svensson, Steve Bruce, Wayne Rooney, Keith Curle, Michael Beale – 25/1
- Matt Taylor, Jody Morris, Noel Hunt, Gareth Ainsworth – 33/1
*odds provided by BetVictor and are correct at the time of writing
OPINION
OPINION
Daniel Carter