Championship side Bristol City are on the hunt to find a new manager to replace Liam Manning following the 39-year-old’s decision to leave South West England to manage Norwich City.
After five unremarkable mid-table finishes, Manning led the Robins to a top six finish in his first full season in charge, earning a place in the play-offs for the first time since 2007/08 at this level when Gary Johnson was in charge.
The Cider Army ultimately fell in comprehensive fashion in their two-legged semi-final against Sheffield United and are now on the hunt for someone that can take the team a step further and try and stage a push for promotion.
Work is underway within the walls of the High Performance Centre to appoint Manning's successor and City chairman Jon Lansdown has insisted that the Reds have been "assessing all options" in regards to their manager search. The club will hope to get the appointment sorted as soon as possible to give the team ample opportunity to secure transfers, with a number of new players entering the market and fair few other players also securing moves.
In recent times, the club’s been linked with a Liverpool icon, a Championship promotion-winning coach and a former Leicester City hero. But who is the current favourite for the Bristol City manager's job, according to the bookmakers? Here’s all you need to know
5. Michael Skubala - 16/1
Lincoln City boss Michael Skubala is an outside contender for the Bristol City job with the bookmakers. He's previously worked as the Under-21s coach at Leeds United as well. | Getty Images
6. Benny Lennartsson - 14/1
82-year-old Benny Lennartsson has had a sporadic managerial career which has seen him manage in Norway, Sweden and England. He managed Bristol City between 1998 and 1999 when the club were relegated fro mthe Championship and has been out of management for over 15 years. | YouTube
7. Brian Tinion - 14/1
Former Bristol City midfielder and manager Brian Tinion has been linked with a stunning return to the Ashton Gate dugout nearly 20 years on from his last stint in charge. During his time in charge he led Bristol City to a seventh place finish in League One before being sacked at the start of the 2005/06 seasons. He's currently acting as technical director of the club after returning in November 2022. | Getty Images
8. Steven Gerrard - 12/1
Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard is an outsider for the Bristol City vacancy after turning down an emotional return to Rangers. During his time at Ibrox, he led the Gers to an unbeaten season and a first league title in 10 years, but his stock has fallen after underwhelming stints with Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq in recent seasons. | Getty Images