The odds have been slashed on Alan Pardew being appointed the new Rangers manager.
Sky Bet priced the experienced Premier League boss as the 5/1 second favourite on Tuesday afternoon to succeed Pedro Caixinha in the Ibrox dugout.
Pardew, 56, is behind only odds-on favourite Derek McInnes to take over at Rangers, with former boss Walter Smith (6/1), Michel Preud’homme (7/1) and Alex McLeish (9/1) also in the betting running.
McInnes has been the strong frontrunner since Caixinha was sacked last Thursday, at which point former Newcastle United, West Ham and Crystal Palace boss Pardew was 18/1 in the betting.
Caixinha was sacked on Thursday after a 228-day reign at Rangers, the shortest tenure in the club’s history.
He was given his marching orders after the team slipped to fourth in the Scottish Premiership in the wake of their draw against Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.
Pardew has been working as a Sky Sports analyst since he was sacked by Crystal Palace last December.
OPINION
Pardew would be a brilliant appointment for Rangers. He is an experienced Premier League manager and has a fine track record in the English top flight, even if he fell out badly with Newcastle United fans and is not to everyone’s tastes. Nevertheless, the former defender would instantly command the respect of the players, is tactically astute and well enough connected to recruit better players than the club have signed for over five years. Get the deal done, Dave King.