Former England boss Roy Hodgson is now the favourite to be the next Leicester boss It seems that a surprise name has jumped to the top of the betting to be the next Leicester boss in former England boss Roy Hodgson. The veteran boss is now odds of 6/4 to be the next permanent Foxes boss after last week’s sacking of title-winning boss Claudio Ranieri. A number of names have been mentioned as possible replacements for the job, including former boss Nigel Pearson, who did look favourite to return to the club. While caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare, Guus Hiddink and Roberto Di Matteo have all been talked about as prospective candidates for the job.

However, Hodgson has jumped ahead of them all in the betting according to the bookmakers. The experienced boss is reportedly looking to get back into management, having quit as England boss after the Three Lions humiliating exit at Euro 2016. Roy Hodgson has enjoyed a long career in coaching, which began way back in 1976 in Sweden with Halmstad. The 69-year-old has managed all over the world in his long career, both in domestic and international football, with varying success. He is though regarded as a well-respected elder statesman of the game in the football community.

However, his stint as England boss has rather dented his credibility, especially the nature in which he left the job. England produced arguably their worst performance at a major tournament in their Euro 2016 defeat at the hands of minnows Iceland. Hodgson came in for major criticism for the performance and quit his role.  Hodgson never actually ruled out a return to football, though. Despite the England debacle, Roy Hodgson is regarded as a safe pair of hands and he always has been really. That is how he was appointed as national team boss in the first place. Hodgson was a man who would not rock the boat. He may have been around, but two of Hodgson’s most high-profile jobs in Liverpool and of course England were just too much for him. Perhaps it was because the veteran boss is unassuming and regarded as a nice chap. He is not regarded as a guy who is ruthless or a top motivator.

However, at the likes of Fulham and West Brom, he did decent jobs. Those clubs are not massive and he brought stability to them. Leicester may well have been champions last season, but the Foxes are currently struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League table. They need somebody who can achieve solid, if not spectacular results and keep the team in the top-flight. Everybody knows that Hodgson’s teams are famous for being solid, if not spectacular to watch. His motivational skills were questioned during his time with England, so maybe he is not the ideal candidate for the Leicester job.

Last season was a dream and this season has been a nightmare for Leicester in the Premier League. Despite their qualification for the last-16 of the Champions League, this season will be one that everybody connected with the Foxes will want to forget. Unless of course, they pull a rabbit out of the hat and actually progress further in the Champions League. The decision on which person is the right one to move the club forward by the club’s owners could be a defining one. If it goes wrong, then the clubs owners will have to deal with the consequences of sacking a title-winning boss and then appointing a boss that takes the club down. With Leicester in their current position, I am not sure if Roy Hodgson is the man to lead them to safety. The England job must have left a permanent mark on the veteran bosses psyche and whether he can recover from that remains to be seen.