Betting Special: Benitez cut to 4/1 for Chelsea job but Lampard still firm favourite

Frank Lampard (1/7) remains red-hot favourite to succeed Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea but Rafael Benitez's odds have been cut to 4/1 (5.0).

The current Newcastle United boss will leave St James' Park at the end of his current contract on June 30 having failed to agree a new deal.

That news has seen William Hill cut Benitez from 20/1 (21.0) to 4/1 (5.0) in their next Chelsea manager market.

Such a move would certainly seem unlikely given the fractured relationship between the 59-year-old and Blues fans during his previous spell in charge which pre-dated his appointment.

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Despite winning the Europa League and a third-place Premier League finish in 2013, the Stamford Bridge faithful never accepted Benitez.

This was partly due to his comments about the London club while in charge of Liverpool, including explaining he would never want to take the Chelsea job out of respect for the Merseyside club.

The Spaniard's CV is an impressive one and his time at Newcastle has further enhanced that standing, but a return to Stamford Bridge seems unlikely, even given his newfound availability.

Another manager who has recently become a free agent is Luis Enrique. The ex-Barcelona boss left the Spanish national team last week and is 6/1 (7.0) to return to club management by taking over at Chelsea.

Nuno Espirito Santo is 16/1 (17.0) to swap Wolves for south west London ahead of another ex-Blues boss, Jose Mourinho, who is available at 20/1 (21.0) with William Hill.

Goal

Lampard would seem the logical choice to succeed Maurizio Sarri, who left to take over at Juventus after a tumultuous season at Stamford Bridge.

In stark contrast to both Sarri and Benitez, Lampard is a fan favourite, having spent 13 years at the club and becoming their leading scorer with 211 goals in all competitions.

That standing with the fans could be especially important given Chelsea face a transfer ban which will complicate the role of any incoming manager.

At 1/7 (1.14) the odds suggest Lampard is still in the driving seat but some punters who snapped up the 20/1 (21.0) about Benitez will be hoping for a seemingly unlikely Stamford Bridge reunion this summer.

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