Newcastle Betting: Toon backed to sack Bruce and stay up

Steve Bruce is 1/5 (a massive 83% chance) to be the next Premier League manager to leave his job after a Saudi Arabian investment fund completed its takeover of Newcastle United.

The deal is expected to transform Newcastle the way similar takeovers of Chelsea and Manchester City did in the 2000s. Fans, who gathered outside St James' Park to celebrate yesterday, hope that after 14 years of penny-pinching under Mike Ashley the club will challenge for silverware.

The club sit 19th in the Premier League after a dismal start to the season but they are 3.55 in the relegation betting on the Exchange.

They are 9.08/1 to finish in the top 10 in 2021/22.

Bruce has taken stick from fans throughout his reign, although most would acknowledge that he was symptom of the club's problems rather than their cause.

Newcastle finished 12th last season - their best finish for three years - but it looks inevitable that Bruce will be dismissed and replaced by a manager with the kind of standing Newcastle fans think their club warrants.

Eddie Howe (below) is 3/1 to be Newcastle's next manager, Antonio Conte is 4/1 and Steve Gerrard 5/1.

New owners Public Investment Fund have assets of £250bn, making Newcastle one of the richest clubs in the world, and fans expect their next manager to be give a nine figure war chest to attract big name players to the club.

Chelsea and City are obvious precedents. It took the former just two seasons to win the Premier League after Roman Abramovich's takeover while the Abu Dhabi group were at City four years before the club lifted their first title.

Newcastle's first match of the PIF era will be at home to Spurs on Sunday 17 October.