Championship sack race: New favourite installed to be next managerial casualty after Ryan Mason
Leicester City boss Marti Cifuentes has emerged as the frontrunner to be the next Championship manager relieved of his duties after Ryan Mason was sacked by West Brom.
Mason was sacked by West Brom on Tuesday after a late 2-1 defeat to Leicester City the night before saw them record a fourth loss in their last five Championship outings.
The defeat also saw their losing run on the road stretch to 10 games, with the Baggies’ chiefs pulling the trigger as the club currently sit 18th in the second-tier, just seven points above the drop zone.
Mason was the favourite to be sacked next in the Championship prior to his dismissal, with Gary Rowett the last boss to receive his marching orders, from Oxford on 23 December, before the decision was made.
Several second-tier managers remain under pressure at the start of 2026, and Cifuentes is now the most likely to be sacked among them, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
Cifuentes is the favourite among Championship managers to be sacked next
Leicester‘s return to the Championship has not gone to plan at all so far after Cifuentes was hired as the man to get them back to the Premier League ahead of this season.
Football Insider revealed last month that Leicester were seriously considering sacking Cifuentes, but a three-match unbeaten run that followed, with wins against Derby and Ipswich, was enough to save his job.
They have since gone on to lose to Sheffield United and deliver the final blow to Mason with a 2-1 win on home turf on Monday, with doubts still lingering around the Spaniard’s position in charge.
According to the latest odds from one of the UK’s leading bookmakers, Cifuentes is the 3/1 favourite to be sacked next in the Championship.
He is closely followed by under-pressure Birmingham City boss Chris Davies, at odds of 4/1 as they linger in 14th place, with Sheffield Wednesday’s Henrik Pedersen up next, at 5/1.
Who could replace Cifuentes at Leicester?
The Foxes are currently 12th in the second tier after 26 games, having lost nine so far this season, and supporters’ discontent was made obvious against the Baggies as the King Power Stadium looked half-empty and devoid of atmosphere.
Cifuentes could be relieved of his duties if they do not improve soon, with Michael Carrick installed as the favourite to be Leicester’s next manager if that decision is taken, at odds of 3/1.
Former Rangers boss Martin is second-favourite at 5/1, with Robbie Keane up next at 8/1, while England under-21s manager Lee Carsley is also believed to be in the running at 10/1.
Carrick is also the favourite to be the next West Brom manager, so Leicester will have to act quickly if they want to land him as their new boss ahead of them soon.