The 2026-27 Premier League season is now well underway, and some teams, and their managers, are struggling more than others.
Michael Carrick has seized headlines recently for his dire start to the term with Manchester United - and persisting with him could, says the noise from Italy, cost the Red Devils their chance to bag Antonio Conte.
Here, as per Sky Bet, are the favourites for the next manager to get the Premier League sack, from ‘Big 6’ to mid-table to possibly relegation-battling clubs.
Michael Carrick (2/1)
While many Manchester United pessimists might have seen something like this coming, with the club’s return to Europe introducing a balancing act that Carrick didn’t have to deal with in 2025-26, going from a third-place finish to 12th and out of the Carabao Cup by October is stark.
When a manager reaches the point where a draw, as the Red Devils claimed last weekend against rivals Leeds United, is seen as enough to just about keep them in a job, they’re clearly walking on a tightrope. Manchester United have Como in the Champions League up next, where they will travel to Italy, and another dire result against an at times brilliant Cesc Fabregas-led side could be the final nail in the coffin.
After that, it’s Bournemouth at home in the Premier League, followed by Chelsea away. A nasty three-game swing, and even more motivation for Sky Bet to have him in first as their likeliest manager to exit their Premier League club.
Pierre Sage (13/8)
In the seasons prior, Crystal Palace were flying. No, not flying in the way of a bottom-half Premier League side venturing into the European qualification spots, flying in an actual trophy-winning manner, beating Manchester City to the FA Cup, Liverpool to the Community Shield, and lifting the Conference League trophy, all in two seasons.
When the architect behind that success left, Oliver Glasner, there remained an expectation that the Eagles would continue to soar. Perhaps another trophy would prove difficult, but performances that put them in contention are now the baseline.
Instead, Crystal Palace have taken just seven points from seven games, landing them at 14th in the Premier League standings. Sky Bet have new boss Pierre Sage at second in their rankings, with odds of 13/8.
Alvaro Arbeloa (9/2)
It’s slightly surprising that the former Real Madrid boss, now Fulham manager, was unable to leapfrog Sage in this list. After all, Fulham are positioned 18th in the Premier League table, with five points from seven games.
A strong 1-0 win versus Hull City last weekend, after falling 2-1 away from home to Ipswich Town the week prior, could be the reason. Instead, Sage is a few inches closer to the guillotine, and Alvaro Arbeloa has bought himself a little more time with the Cottagers.
That and, naturally, expectations at Fulham being less high than they are elsewhere in London. One thing is for certain, the longer that Arbeloa battles relegation, the higher he will move up Sky Bet’s odds list. A slight improvement defensively in recent weeks bodes relatively well for Fulham, but there is a long, long road ahead for the Spaniard to push his side to mid-table.
Roberto De Zerbi (9/1)
Hundreds of millions of British pounds spent, off the back of a season spent battling relegation, and a new manager in Roberto De Zerbi, whose previous reign with Marseille in Ligue 1 was mostly solid.
All of this, and Tottenham Hotspur still limped to the finish line against Coventry City on Monday night, to secure their first win of the Premier League season.
Spurs are now positioned 16th in the standings, with six points from seven outings, but De Zerbi’s job is by no means safe. Battling from a goal down at Old Trafford with just 10 men on the pitch was a more impressive result from the North London unit, but anything less than total abstinence from the relegation spots will be the Italian’s downfall, as the 2026-27 term rages on.
Oliver Glasner (9/1)
Crystal Palace, Glasner, what a match made in harmony. Instead, Sage is second on this list, and the former Eagles man has also managed to make an appearance shortly into his new gig with Nottingham Forest.
Glasner’s new team are 19th in the Premier League, with just five points from seven games; barring an impressive 2-1 away win at Villa Park, the highlights have mostly been lowlights from Forest in England this term.
Still, Glasner arrived with the expectation that he’d work magic - this Forest side, that finished 16th last season, was anything but a superteam before him. Sky Bet has his odds of leaving the club at 9/1, but the City Ground will surely keep the Austrian for long enough to accurately gauge whether he can replicate his London-based success in Nottingham.
