Harry Redknapp will be England’s next manager, if the bookies are to be believed. They usually know a thing or two about what’s about to go down, which isn’t exactly good for any sport, but that’s a different matter. The pundits, rumor mills and pretty much everyone have the lovable (to some) Spurs manager labeled as the man to take over Capello’s work.
Redknapp is the leading English manager in the game today, with the Premier League rather short on English managers, and even shorter on ones how actually command respect from fans and peers to an extent that makes you believe they deserve a spot at the most prestigious, on paper, job in English football.
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The last time an English manager has won the Premier League? Never. Howard Wilkinson was the last English manager to lift the league trophy, in 1992, with Leeds United, the last year before being introduced to the new name which apparently erased everything that happened before.
But Redknapp has a good gig going for him. He might have been dreaming about leading England to the World Cup or the Euro since forever, but the power and most of the interest is in club soccer these days, with Redknapp doing a fantastic job with Spurs, missing only small pieces to actually have a championship caliber team at his disposal.
Other candidates? There are, but right now, the odds all point towards Redknapp. Jose Mourinho, Roy Hodgson, Stuart Pearce, Alan Pardew, Gareth Southgate and Rafa Benitez with a 1/16 chance. The FA spoke today about not ruling out another foreign escapade after keeping the job out of the local talent pool for most of the last 11 years, barring the unsuccessful Steve McLaren experiment.
Southgate and Pardew seem like terrible ideas. Pearce? I like people moving and promoted from within, but the FA probably likes a big name. Rafa Benitez seems like a likely and suitable option. Mourinho? I don’t think he’s up for leaving Real Madrid and making his job a non-club fixture.
If you really want to make quite a lot of cash, there are three bets, very unlikely, but very profitable – Alan Shearer, David Beckham and Brendan Rodgers. At 1/66, it’s worth the risk.