Could the likes of Andoni Iraola and David Moyes offer better value in this market, given the Cherries’ form and Moyes’ record against Man City?
| October Premier League Manager of the Month Betting Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Enzo Maresca | 7/2 |
| Mikel Arteta | 4/1 |
| Pep Guardiola | 5/1 |
| Andoni Iraola | 6/1 |
| David Moyes | 12/1 |
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Front-runners for October’s Manager of the Month award
Enzo Maresca is the favourite for October’s Manager of the Month award for a reason. Chelsea’s courageous home win over Liverpool puts the Blues in seventh place, just three points shy of third-placed Tottenham.
After the October international break, Chelsea will play against fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest away. After that, they will host newly promoted Sunderland, who lost 2-0 against an inconsistent Manchester United side last weekend.
Mikel Arteta is close behind Maresca in the rankings. He’s said to have a 20% chance of clinching the award. The Gunners have claimed top spot in the Premier League after a routine win over West Ham and Liverpool’s slip-up at Stamford Bridge.
If Arsenal can back that up with London derby victories over Fulham and an in-form Crystal Palace, this could be award-worthy. Especially since Palace have only lost one of their opening seven league games.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola could also win this month’s award. They overcame a stiff test at Brentford last weekend with a narrow win to move to within three points of the Premier League’s top spot.
Manchester City are the league’s top scorers, and they are set to play a home game against Everton after the international break. On paper, this seems like a winnable contest, although David Moyes’ record against City with the Toffees may suggest otherwise. City then face a trip to an Aston Villa side that’s won back-to-back league games.
It seems like Arteta has the toughest games remaining in October out of the three main contenders. The Spaniard would surely be the favourite for the award if the Gunners end the month with seven victories across their opening nine league games.
The outsiders that could pip Maresca and co. to the title
There is one side that could cause an upset in the top four of the Premier League heading into the October international break. AFC Bournemouth sit fourth with four wins, two draws, and one defeat in 2025/26.
The Cherries managed a dramatic come-from-behind victory at home to Fulham prior to the international break. Antoine Semenyo’s red-hot form makes Bournemouth an irresistible counter-attacking force currently.
Andoni Iraola’s men travel to Crystal Palace next weekend before a home game with struggling Nottingham Forest. Victory in both of these games could strengthen Iraola’s position in the Manager of the Month race, with the Cherries well-established inside the top four in this scenario.
The most interesting outside pick for October’s Manager of the Month award is Everton boss David Moyes. The experienced Scotsman has guided the Toffees to eighth place after seven games, as they have adapted well to their new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Last Sunday, the Toffees came from behind to land a last-gasp home win over Crystal Palace. Jack Grealish’s 93rd-minute winning goal caused wild celebrations at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton will face even tougher tests after the international break, as they will travel to face Manchester City and host Tottenham after. Interestingly, Moyes had a great record against City in his previous Everton reign.
His points-per-match average in games against City stands at 1.21 points. That’s almost double his record of 0.64 points per game against Arsenal and Liverpool.
Everton's big issues will be the absence of Grealish for the trip to the Etihad Stadium. Their star loan winger and primary match-winner will be unavailable to face his parent club.
Moyes could be a serious dark horse at a current probability of only 7.69% in the betting markets. Especially if Everton upset the odds and win at City and then back it up with three points against Thomas Frank’s resurgent Tottenham.