Next Plymouth Argyle Manager Odds: Anthony Barry Favourite To Replace Ian Foster
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Plymouth are looking for a new manager and the best betting sites have opened a market on who will be the next man to occupy the Home Park dugout.
The Pilgrims only narrowly avoided relegation to League One last weekend. A 1-0 victory over Hull City secured their Championship status, with interim boss Neil Dewsnip fulfilling his remit by getting Plymouth over the line.
The search now begins for a permanent successor to Ian Foster, who was relieved of his duties on April 1 after a dismal run of form – just three months after replacing Steven Schumacher.
Who will be the Plymouth manager at the beginning of next season? Let’s take a look at the odds supplied by football betting sites.
Bayern Assistant Barry New Favourite For Pilgrims
Anthony Barry has emerged as the new 4/1 favourite with UK bookmakers to become the new Plymouth manager.
The former midfielder spent much of his playing career in the lower reaches of the English pyramid, but his managerial career has gone from strength to strength.
Although he has yet to manage a club he has been an assistant at Chelsea, Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.
Barry, 37, linked up with former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel again at Bayern Munich 12 months ago as a set-piece specialist.
On his appointment, Tuchel said: “As a top team, you need to be top at set-pieces. It’s an important area for us that we want to work on. His work with set pieces at Chelsea was on a completely new level for me.”
Neil And Heckingbottom Next In Line
Alex Neil is the second favourite to be handed the reins at Home Park, with betting apps offering a best price of 5/1.
The Scot has had mixed success in this division in the past, and his most recent job at Stoke City ended with the club just above the relegation zone in December.
Neil previously guided Sunderland back to the second tier, though, and he also did a good job at Norwich City earlier in his career. It is no surprise Plymouth are rumoured to be looking at him.
Close behind in the betting is Paul Heckingbottom, who took Sheffield United into the Premier League last term.
It is surely only a matter of time before the 46-year-old is back in work, probably in the Championship. He is available at 6/1 in this market.
Pearson and Cook Among Contenders For Job
Nigel Pearson has vast experience of the Championship, most recently with Bristol City. He left that position last October and will presumably be keen to get back into management before the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign.
Pearson, listed at 8/1 for the Plymouth job, may need to be convinced by the club’s potential and would no doubt prefer to take over at a play-off contender rather than a relegation candidate.
Paul Cook is available at longer odds of 10/1. He has just led Chesterfield to promotion from the National League and an offer from the Championship would probably be too good to turn down, despite his connections to his current club.
Plymouth Could Move For Jones Or Baines
Nathan Jones is another 10/1 pick, but many will feel those odds are not sufficiently long for a manager who recently took a job.
It is true that Plymouth are a division higher than Charlton, but Jones was only installed in south London in February and is unlikely to jump ship so soon.
Leighton Baines would represent a risk given his lack of managerial experience. Currently in charge of Everton’s Under-18s, the Toffees legend is also priced at 10/1 for the Plymouth job.
Baines may find it hard to convince the Pilgrims board to give him a chance as they did with the aforementioned Foster, whose disappointing spell at Home Park came in his first frontline club role in England.
Rowett And Mowbray Among Outsiders
Gary Rowett is a dark horse at 12/1, but he would tick several boxes at Plymouth. Rowett’s Millwall punched above their weight for some time, and although he could not keep Birmingham City up as interim manager, the club’s relegation to League One cannot be blamed on him.
Tony Mowbray is the permanent Birmingham head coach, but he was granted medical leave in March. Whether he stays at St Andrew’s remains to be seen, with Mowbray seen as a 14/1 contender for Plymouth.
Could McCann, Murphy or Ainsworth Take Over?
Grant McCann has had quite a season at Doncaster Rovers. Involved in a League Two relegation battle for much of the campaign, a stunning end to 2023/24 saw them qualify for the play-offs.
But if Doncaster fall short, McCann could be tempted away. He is 14/1 to join Plymouth.
Gareth Ainsworth’s failed stint at Queens Park Rangers may make it difficult for him to land another Championship job for the time being. The former Wycombe Wanderers boss is therefore worth avoiding at 14/1.
Brian Barry-Murphy, also priced at 14/1, is an interesting inclusion. Currently in charge of the Manchester City Elite Development Squad, the Irishman will no doubt want to take another managerial job at senior level at some point.
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