Next Cardiff City Manager Odds

Aaron Ramsey might not be an odds-on choice with the bookies just yet, but he is by far and away the early favourite to land the Cardiff City gig. Having an audition for a few games obviously helps his case on that front, providing he does well, and he has a huge affiliation to the club having a) come through the ranks there and b) currently representing them as a player.

From a coaching angle, the former Arsenal man is highly inexperienced but he has been coaching at the Welsh club and was awarded his UEFA A licence in September last year before publicly declaring his ambition to move into management after his playing career. Timing is important though and that is a big question mark for Ramsey where this job is concerned.

Ramsey, who is currently sidelined with injury and therefore unavailable to play, sees his contract come to an end this summer with no talk of an extension yet.

Despite that, Ramsey has spoken of his intention to continue playing. Is a player-manager role an option? It’s certainly not a commonly done thing these days and, at 2/1, it might suggest the value on Ramsey’s potential appointment isn’t great.

Gary O’Neil’s name is one that seems to be cropping up with pretty much every Championship vacancy at the moment.

We understand why too because he’s shown himself to be a capable manager and tactician in the Premier League during spells with Bournemouth and Wolves, whilst also having a vast playing experience behind him too, which makes him a relatable character and also gives him the understanding of football away from the very top level.

We don’t see Cardiff and O’Neil being a fit though. Given the hire and fire approach Cardiff have alongside an unlikely base from which to quickly build towards the top end of the division and the aforementioned glut of links to O’Neil, he will probably feel that better opportunities will come his way. A brief loan spell with the Bluebirds as a player back in 2004 is an irrelevance too.

On the surface, you can see why Rob Edwards would be seen as a reasonable fit for Cardiff. He represented Wales as a player, which will give him some form of deeper connection to the fans, at least initially, as he could talk to the specifics of Welsh passion for their football but, more importantly, his managerial record is pretty tidy to.

Edwards, 42, has enjoyed tangible success with a couple of clubs, having guided Forest Green and Luton to promotions, whilst also being able to point to a couple of roles earlier in his career as well to demonstrate his strength as a coach.

Despite taking Luton to the Premier League, his record with the Hatters is now somewhat split. Taking them into the Premier League, and making them fairly competitive in the top flight, is an incredible achievement considering their resources.

On relegation, they slid down the Championship table under his guidance and now, after sacking him, they stare back-to-back relegations in the face. Will his inability to stop that rot put Cardiff off?

If you are looking for a value punt on the next Cardiff manager then 16/1 on Nathan Jones getting the gig could be a worthwhile shout.

Jones, a boyhood Bluebird fan, has openly stated his desire to manager Cardiff one day going as far as to claim he “would never turn that down” when speaking about a go in the dugout.

Beyond just being a fan, Jones can point to a decent track record as a manager too. His main body of work has come with Luton across two separate spells where he achieved 51% and 41% win ratios respectively.

Spells with Stoke and Southampton cloud that record somewhat but he’s been in post at Charlton in League One since February last year and is doing an excellent job with the Addicks as they currently sit fourth in the table and guaranteed the minimum of a playoff spot.

Promotion or not, Jones can hold his head high for the job he has done and that in combination with his connection to Cardiff could easily see the parties meet for a discussion.