Championship promotion hopefuls Bristol City are searching for a new manager to replace Liam Manning after his departure to Norwich City.
Manning, who took charge of Bristol City in November 2023 and led the club to the Championship play-offs during his first and only full season in charge, will replace Johannes Hoff Thorup, who was sacked by the Carrow Road side in April with the team in the bottom half of the Championship table.
Attention will now turn to the search for his successor, with a Liverpool legend with over 500 Premier League appearances entering the fray alongside a former Leicester City midfielder and a coach with a proven track record of winning promotion out of this league through the play-offs in the past.
With that in mind, we take a look at the bookmakers' favourites to replace Manning in the Ashton Gate dugout next season and the career of each candidate so far.
5. Steve Cooper - 16/1
FormerLeciester City boss Steve Cooper has been out of work since November 2024 but is still held in high regard by many Championship side's for his achievements at this level. Ex-England Under-17 boss Cooper, guided Swansea to the play-off final before leaving to join Nottingham Forest, who he inspired to promotion in 2022 after a dramatic turnaround of results. He stabilised Forest in the Premier League over the next 18 months before being sacked but only managed three wins in 15 matches in charge of Leicester. | AFP via Getty Images
6. John Mousinho - 12/1
Former Oxford midfielder John Mousinho has enjoyed an excellent start to his managerial career with Portsmouth. He joined the Fratton Park side in 2023 and guided Pompey to the League One title in his first full season before securing survival in the Championship with a commendable 16th place finish. | Getty Images
7. Dave Challinor - 8/1
Highly-rated Stockport County Dave Challinor manager has a track record of winning promotions which makes him hugely appealing to Bristol City. He won the Northern Premier League Premier Division play-offs with Colywn Bay in 2011 before guiding AFC Flyde to three promotion and an FA Trophy. Challinor also guided Hartlepool to promotion via the National League play-offs before taking charge of Stockport County where has won two promotions in four years while guiding the Greater Manchester side to third in League One in their first season back in the division since 2009/10. | Getty Images
8. Luke Williams - 8/1
Luke Williams, who spent time on the books as a youth player at Bristol Rovers and also as a youth team coach at Bristol City has been out of work since leaving Swansea in February. Williams is credited with leading Notts County to promotion via the National League play-offs while earning a club record- 107 points in the process. He left County fifth in League Two five months later to assume the role of Swansea boss where he had mixed success. He steered theWelsh club away from relegation in his first six months but saw results unravel in his first full season and was dismissed in February after losing seven of his last nine games. | Getty Images