Burnley are on the lookout for a new manager following the sacking of Sean Dyche on Friday, in which the Premier League ’s longest serving manager has seen his 10-year stint in charge of the Clarets come to an end.
The Lancashire club have endured a difficult season and are currently four points adrift of safety in 18th position in the league, having won just four out of 30 league games this campaign.
It is unclear as to whether the next manager will be employed on a long-term or interim basis until the end of the season, but Mirror Football takes a look at some of the early candidates being linked to the Turf Moor vacancy.
Early candidates
Former Newcastle, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Everton manager Sam Allardyce is the early favourite to replace Dyche at Turf Moor, who has been out of a job since leaving West Brom at the end of last season following just five months in charge after failing to keep them in the Premier League, which marked his first ever relegation from the top flight.
Alan Pardew comes in as the second favourite to take over at Turf Moor, despite recent reports claiming he is set to take over at Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia. Nonetheless, the former West Ham, Southampton, Newcastle and Crystal Palace manager has suffered just one previous relegation from the top flight and most recently managed Dutch side ADO Den Haag in 2020.
Other potential candidates to take over the Clarets for the remainder of the season include former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as well as Claudio Ranieri, Marcelo Bielsa and Rafael Benitez, who have all been sacked by Watford, Leeds and Everton, respectively, this season.
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Objective for the rest of the season
Considering that Dyche has been sacked with eight games to go, it can be assumed that the club are fixated on securing survival this season, and so that will remain the primary objective for whoever comes in to take hold of the reigns at Turf Moor.
The Clarets are just four points adrift of safety and with two games in hand, so it is definitely achievable. However, after five defeats in their last six games, and with just 25 goals to their name all season, it is going to be a very difficult task for whoever comes in, while there are also games against European chasing West Ham, Wolves and Tottenham to come.
But the club possess the likes of Nick Pope, James Tarkowski, Dwight McNeil, Maxwel Cornet and £12million January signing Wout Weghorst, and if the new manager can get these main players firing in their remaining games, Burnley can still have every chance of achieving survival.
Next manager odds
Next permanent Burnley manager odds with Betfair
Sam Allardyce - 5/1
Alan Pardew - 12/1
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - 16/1
Claudio Ranieri - 16/1
Marcelo Bielsa - 40/1
Rafa Benitez - 25/1
*odds subject to change
