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Wolves are stranded at the foot of the Premier League table following their loss to Bolton on Saturday and Adam Bate assesses the summer coaching options at Molineux

With Wolverhampton Wanderers now six points adrift of 19th place in the race for Premier League safety, their relegation seems to be a mere formality and thoughts are already turning to who will be the club's new manager come the summer.

The man currently holding the job will always be near the top of the betting and it’s no different in this case with Terry Connor a 7/2 (4.5) shot with William Hill to extend his stay at the helm beyond the end of the season. However, after picking up just one point from his first six games it would surely take a bizarre turnaround in fortunes for Connor to stake a persuasive claim to the job.

Far more likely, is that a new man will come in and the identity of that individual will depend on whether owner Steve Morgan wishes to stick to his bold assertion that he has no interest in getting involved in the merry-go-round of appointing the same old faces.

That policy would appear to rule out Steve Bruce, but the former Birmingham and Sunderland boss remains an even money (2.0) favourite on the assumption there will be a U-turn in the Molineux boardroom.

Perhaps a more progressive appointment would be a young and hungry manager of which the pick might be ex-Wolves forward and current Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman, who has impressed on a small budget at Selhurst Park. Freedman is a 14/1 (15.0) shot with William Hill.

Elsewhere in the market, speculation is playing a big part. Owen Coyle is a 33/1 (34.0) pick – presumably an attractive option for the punter who presupposes that Bolton will be relegated and the former Burnley man will be on his way.

Alternatively, Sam Allardyce is a boyhood Wolves fan and would be a likely target for the club if he is forced out at West Ham should they fail to gain promotion. Allardyce is 50/1 (51.0) to be Wolves’ next permanent manager with William Hill.

The Wolves connection also applies to the Wolverhampton-born ex-Doncaster boss Sean O’Driscoll at 66/1 (67.0) and if you are really going for the sentimental choice, look no further than Steve Bull himself – an 80/1 (81.0) pick with William Hill.

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Adam Bate is a professional freelance journalist who specialises in football and betting. He is editor of GhostGoal which can be found here - you can also follow Adam on Twitter