There are currently two Premier League clubs without a permanent manager, although it appears as though West Ham are making speedy progress in their quest to find a replacement for Alan Curbishley. It is believed that there are four names on the current shortlist, with Gianfranco Zola the bookmaker’s favourite (6/4 Betfred) to land in the hotseat at Upton Park.

The Italian has already been interviewed by the club and would be a popular appointment with the supporters. However, he may have competition from compatriot Roberto Donadoni, who is also thought to want a manager’s position in the Premier League. The former Italy boss is a 9/4 chance (Paddy Power), although the country’s poor performance at Euro 2008 might work against him.

The other two contenders in the betting are Michael Laudrup (8/1 Skybet) and Slaven Bilic (9/2 Skybet), despite the latter being adamant that he wants to continue in his role of managing Croatia. Perhaps a different story will emerge after Wednesday night’s match with England, especially if his former club offer him an attractive package which will eclipse anything that he currently earns.

The situation at St James’ Park is a little different, with Gus Poyet the strong favourite (5/4 Paddy Power) to become manager of Newcastle. It’s clear that this will not go down too well with the Toon Army, especially as the Uruguayan is a close friend of Dennis Wise, whose presence clearly riled Kevin Keegan during his second tenure at St James’ Park. Didier Deschamps seems to be the other name in the frame (another ex-Chelsea player!) and he’s an 8/1 chance (Ladbrokes).

Keegan himself is no better than 5/1 (Skybet) to return to the hotseat for a third time, while Turkish boss Fatih Terim is 12/1 (Paddy Power) after stating that he would be interested in the vacant manager’s position on Tyneside.