Premier League Predictions & News
Premier League Sack Race After Matchday 19: Maresca leaves Chelsea
Matchday 19 in the Premier League gave us the fifth managerial casualty of the season, as Enzo Maresca left Chelsea.
Following the Blues’ 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth, the sixth time they’d failed to win in their last seven league matches, rumours began to circulate about the Italian’s future. Just a day later, he was gone.
Maresca had not been favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave, but his departure was no less shocking for that.
The sack race now has a slightly different look to it, as we run through those whose jobs are at risk at the halfway point in the season.
Nuno Espirito Santo 7/4
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo remains at the top of the market to be the next Premier League manager to leave. He had been the 9/4 favourite before Maresca’s departure, but now finds himself as short as 7/4 to go next.
His side managed a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton, but having led 2-1 they will be disappointed not to have picked up all three points. At the halfway stage, they sit 18th and are four points behind Nottingham Forest. It’s bottom-of-the-table Wolves up next, and if they don’t end their seven-game winless streak there then Nuno could well be gone.
Ruben Amorim 7/2
Ruben Amorim looked to have turned things around at Manchester United, but a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves – just their third point of the season – left many fans infuriated. That was a chance for United to climb into the top four before the new year and take some momentum into 2026, but instead they find themselves under fire once again.
Amorim is now a clear second in the sack race at 7/2. He previously had the excuse of needing more time, which made his sacking seem unlikely, but with over 13 months in charge and few signs of improvement, the pressure is building on the Portuguese manager.
Scott Parker 5/1
Scott Parker’s Burnley were always likely to struggle on their return to the top flight, but their 3-1 defeat at home to Newcastle extended their winless run to 10 matches and put them six points adrift of safety.
Parker’s position feels safer than his 5/1 odds may suggest, but if he can’t close the gap to safety before we get to the business end of the season then Burnley may look for a quick fix to save them.
Thomas Frank 11/2
Thomas Frank’s start to life at Spurs hasn’t been as he or the fans would’ve wished, with his side languishing in 12th and looking unlikely to compete for the European places after a 0-0 draw against his former side Brentford.
An improvement in their league form was a must after last season’s domestic disaster, but they have just two more points than they did at this stage last year. The 11/2 about Frank to go next shows just how much pressure he is under heading into the second half of the season.
Others
Daniel Farke’s position was under serious question as Leeds faltered early on in the season and had what looked a very tricky set of fixtures coming up. Fast forward just over two months and they’ve recorded a win over Chelsea, two draws with Liverpool, a 4-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace and draws away to Brentford and Sunderland.
Their most recent draw at Anfield took them seven points clear of the relegation zone, a position most fans would’ve taken before the season. Farke has since seen his odds to go next grow to 9/1, trending in the same direction as his side’s performances and results.
Rob Edwards has also seen his odds balloon following Wolves’ 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. At 10/1, he looks unlikely to be sacked soon, partly because of that good result against United but also because it looks as though nothing will save them from relegation now.
