Lee Carsley is favourite to take over Championship club as next manager sacked odds slashed
Lee Carsley could be about to take a new managerial job in the Championship after developments this weekend.
The 51-year-old led England to Euro Under-21s glory in the summer, having previously had a spell in charge of the senior national team on an interim basis.
Carsley was briefly linked with the Leeds United job back in April, when speculation was rife that they would replace Daniel Farke prior to their return to the Premier League.
The former midfielder has still never held a senior managerial role in club football, but that could be about to change, with a move to the Championship potentially now in the offing.
Lee Carsley odds-on favourite to take over at Birmingham City
Football Insider exclusively revealed at the end of October that Birmingham City boss Chris Davies was under increasing pressure from the club’s owners after a disappointing start to the season.
The 40-year-old led the Blues to promotion from League One last term, but his position is already under scrutiny just months into their return to the second tier.
The second city outfit are currently on a run of three games without a win in the Championship, and they squandered a lead in the second half to draw 1-1 with Charlton Athletic on home turf in their latest outing.
Birmingham are currently sitting 12th in the league, but with their owners’ sky-high ambitions, pressure is seemingly beginning to mount on their boss.
Davies is now the favourite to become the next Championship manager to lose his job, as he is currently priced at odds of 4/1 to become the division’s next managerial casualty.
Carsley has emerged as the favourite to take his position at odds of 4/1, ahead of the likes of Gary O’Neil and Michael Carrick, who are each valued at 7/1.
Carsley’s association with the Blues
Birmingham are a club with Premier League ambitions, and that was highlighted by their audacious attempt to sign Jamie Vardy in the summer.
However, Carsley is someone who knows all about the expectation that comes with representing the club, as he turned out for them on 48 occasions during his playing career.
| Manager | Odds to take over |
| Lee Carsley | 4/1 |
| Gary O’Neil | 7/1 |
| Michael Carrick | 7/1 |
| Brendan Rodgers | 8/1 |
| Jesse Marsch | 10/1 |
| Ralph Hasenhuttl | 10/1 |
The former Ireland international helped his hometown club to promotion to the Premier League back in 2008-09, before an injury-hit campaign the following year ultimately prompted the end of his time at St Andrew’s.
Carsley has also worked for the Blues in a coaching capacity, having been a key part of the academy setup, as well as briefly taking caretaker charge of the first team after Harry Redknapp lost his job back in 2017.
Davies has largely done an excellent job for Birmingham since he joined in the summer of 2024, but if results do not improve for him soon, then Carsley is seemingly waiting in the wings to step in.