Next Lincoln City Manager Odds

On October 18, Lincoln City announced the departure of their coach Mark Kennedy. The Imps didn’t have the best start to the 2023/24 League One campaign and sat 16th in the league table at the time of his departure. Nevertheless, it appears that it was a personal decision from Kennedy to leave LNER Stadium, with the club ready to keep him.

Kennedy arrived at Lincoln City ahead of the 2022/23 term, and his only full season in charge saw the Imps finish 11th in League One and reach the EFL Trophy quarter-finals. 

Now, the club is in the process of interviewing candidates for the vacant job, while the next Lincoln City manager odds have surged.

Lincoln City Next Manager Betting List

The bookmakers favourite when it comes to the Lincoln City next manager odds is Dany Cowley. Tom Shaw, who has been appointed as caretaker for the Imps in the meantime, is on the list as well. 

Danny Cowley

Danny Cowley, on the other hand, can be hired right away as he has been out of work since January 2023 when he was dismissed from Portsmouth. Cowley had a good start with Pompey, where he assumed charge in 2021, but two months without a win saw him fired from Fratton Park.

Cowley may be attracted by the job opening at LNER Stadium as he already coached the Imps between 2016 and 2019 and is now being linked with a return. In fact, the Englishman may be considered one of the most successful coaches in the history of Lincoln City, as he arrived when the Imps were in the fifth tier and would win two promotions over the years, bringing them back to League One (third tier) for the first time since 1999.

Aside from Lincoln and Portsmouth, Cowley also had a short stint with Huddersfield Town in the EFL Championship but only lasted for one season in charge. He also coached in the non-professional divisions with Concord Rangers and Braintree Town.

Leam Richardson

Leam Richardson is another candidate which would be available for instant hire as he has been on the job market ever since being sacked by Wigan Athletic in November 2022. And although his spell with the Latics ended on a bad note, their fans will certainly remain grateful for what he managed to achieve during his two years at DW Stadium. 

Richardson arrived at Wigan in an assistant position but assumed full charge of the team in November 2020. The English gaffer saved the Latics from relegation in his first season, and the next year, he guided them to the League One title while being named best manager in the league. Unfortunately, Richardson and Wigan could not adapt to the increased competition in the EFL Championship following promotion.

That being said, Leam Richardson is still new in the management agme, having mostly worked as an assistant coach. His only other managerial experience was with Accrington Stanley in 2012/13, but his credentials may be enough to convince Lincoln City. 

Tom Shaw

Tom Shaw joined Lincoln City in 2018 as a youth coach at first. Ahead of the 2022/23 season, the 36-year-old was trusted with an assistant position at the first team, and after the departure of Mark Kennedy, he was installed as caretaker.

In four matches to date, Shaw has led the Imps to two wins, one draw and one loss. These positive first signs have resulted in opinions among fans and in the press that the Englishman could be a good candidate for the permanent position. However, Lincoln City’s chairman Clive Nates has refused to publicly comment whether the 36-year-old is in the running, all while praising his work.

Shaw's appointment may prove a risky decision as he lacks experience at the professional level. Tom’s time at Lincoln City aside, he only had a short interim spell at Chester in the sixth tier in 2017 and coached seventh-tier Gainsborough Trinity on a part-time basis in 2021/22, recording 30% wins in 46 matches.

Stephen Bradley

There have been concrete rumours in the media regarding who is to become the next Lincoln City manager, and Stephen Bradley is one of those names. As such, it's no surprise seeing him sit so high on the list of next Lincoln City manager odds.

What is more, Stephen Bradly is currently employed as head coach at Shamrock Rovers in his native Republic of Ireland, a job he has been holding since 2016. In charge of the Hoops, Bradley became league champions on three occasions, won two cups, and also achieved qualification to the 2022/23 UEFA Conference League group stages.

While Bradley may hesitate to join Lincoln City right away, the season in the Republic of Ireland ends in early November. If the Imps are willing to wait, the 38-year-old – with his attractive football and rich experience – would make a very promising appointment.

Sol Campbell 

A great figure in the history of the Premier League, Sol Campbell’s becoming the next Lincoln City manager would certainly attract a lot of media attention towards the club. The issue here may be Campbell’s limited experience.

Campbell made his first steps an assistant to Dennis Lawrence at Trinidad and Tobago in 2017. A year later, Sol began his solo career as he was appointed head coach at Macclesfield Town in League One. With the Silkmen facing relegation at the time of his arrival, the former England international managed to turn things around and keep Macclesfield afloat in the third tier. 

Between 2019 and 2020, Campbell coached Southend United in League One but his spell came to an end as his side suffered relegation in the 2019/20 season which had to be abandoned due to COVID-19. And that is where the 49-year-old’s CV ends.