Sheffield Wednesday manager search - Latest odds on favourites to be Darren Moore’s successor as Owls boss

HAVING guided Sheffield Wednesday to promotion back to the Championship at the second attempt, there were great expectations for what Darren Moore could achieve with Sheffield Wednesday during the 2023-24.

But those expectations quickly turned to dismay when the Owls boss left Hillsborough by mutual consent less than a month after overseeing their stunning late 1-0 win over Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in the League One play-off final at Wembley.

Since then, there have been many names linked with the job, including former boss Carlos Carvalhal, a name quickly ruled out by owner Dejphon Chansiri.

Here are the latest leading candidates ...

4/6 - Dean Smith

Played for the Owls between 2003-04 and after starting his managerial career at Walsall, has gone on to coach in the Premier League with aston Villa - who he got promoted via the play-offs in 2019 - Norwich City and Leicester City - the last two teams being relegated under his stewardship, although he was only appointed by the Foxes to replace Brendan Rogers with eight games remaining.

6/1 Slaven Bilic

His first managerial appointment was for his national side, Croatia back in 2006. Since then, the former stylish centre-half first took the reins at a club when joining West Ham United in 201, leading them to seventh and 11th-place finishes before a poor start to the 2017-18 season saw him sacked. He led West Brom back to the Premier League after one year in charge in June 2020 but, another poor start to the following season saw him replaced in November.

After a year in the Chinese Super League coaching Beijing Guoan, he took over at Watford in September 2022, but was sacked the following March, despite the Hornets sitting ninth in the table and in with a shout of making the Championship play-offs.

8/1 Nathan Jones

A brief stint as caretaker manager at Brighton came before he took the reins at Luton Town for the first time in 2016, when they were languishing in League Two where, after a play-off semi-final defeat, he led them to automatic promotion the following year.

With Luton well-placed in League One, Jones took up the chance to manage Stoke City in the Championship in January 2019 but, after a poor start to the 2019-20 season, Jones was dismissed in November the same year.

A quick return to Luton came and he led the club to the play-off semi-finals in May 2022 where they lost out to Huddersfield Town. Southampton appointed Jones to replace Ralph Hasenhüttl in November 2022, but it was tough going for the new manager, lasting only five months before being sacked in March.

10/1 Paul Ince

The former Manchester United, Middlesbrough and England midfielder managed a string of clubs between 2006-2014, starting out at Macclesfield Town and spending time at Milton Keynes (twice) Blackburn Rovers, Notts County and Blackpool before an eight-year break from coaching followed.

He came out of the wilderness in February 2022 to take the reins at Reading, steering them to safety in the Championship. The next season proved equally tough, the Royals situation not being helped by a six-point deduction due to breaching the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules.

It proved pivotal. On 11 April 2023, Ince left his role as first team manager after a run of eight games without a win, leaving the club in 22nd place, one point from safety. They were subsequently relegated. Without the points deduction, they would have avoided the drop.

16/1 Steven Gerrard

AFTER a sustained period of success at Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, the former Liverpool and England midfielder returned to the Premier League he had graced so much as a player by taking the managerial reins at Villa Park.

After a 14th-place finish at the end of the 2021-22 campaign - having taken over in the November - Gerrard struggled to impose himself at Villa Park at the start of the following campaign. As a result, his tenure was ended after less than a year in charge when - after winning just two of their opening 12 league games of the - Gerrard was dismissed by Villa on October 20.