Rodgers, Tuchel and... John Terry?: Bookies predict next Chelsea boss with Frank Lampard ODDS-ON to be next managerial casualty

Oddsmakers have predicted who might be the next manager in the Stamford Bridge dugout after Frank Lampard became the odds-on favorite as the latest Premier League boss to be sacked after Chelsea's 3-1 surrender to Manchester City.

Concern is growing in West London amid a poor run of form which has seen Chelsea lose four of their past six Premier League fixtures to cap a hugely disappointing festive campaign for Lampard's galaxy of expensive recruits. 

A trio of first-half strikes for Pep Guardiola's men heaped further pressure on under-fire boss Lampard, who is facing accusations that he hasn't been able to get the best out of his array of new signings, with Germany marksman Timo Werner now in the midst of a nine-game goalless streak. 

Werner's international colleague, £71 million summer import Kai Havertz, was left on the bench for the fourth successive game, proving unable to muster much in a brief cameo appearance late on.

The defeat - and, particularly, the manner of it - has led to renewed speculation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich might soon swing the managerial axe amid the recent downturn in results.

But who would be in line to replace one of the club's most beloved figures in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat?

Brendan Rodgers

Former Liverpool and Celtic boss Rodgers has been the recipient of numerous plaudits for the style of play he has transplanted to his current club, Leicester City, and has been earmarked by bookies as the 3/1 favorite to fill Lampard's position should it become available.

A move to Chelsea would represent something of a homecoming for the Northern Irishman, having helmed the Blues' reserve team for several seasons -  a position he was handed by former manager Jose Mourinho.

Since then, Rodgers has considerably enhanced his reputation at Liverpool and Celtic, but particularly at Leicester City where he steadied the ship at the former Premier League champions after they severed ties with former coach Claude Puel. 

His style of play has drawn favorable comparisons to that of Pep Guardiola - and with Abramovich known to be a huge admirer of the Spaniard, tempting Rodgers to London from Leicester could be as close as Chelsea's Russian owner gets to his most sought-after managerial target.

Thomas Tuchel

Former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain man Tuchel immediately became one of European football's most high-profile free agents when PSG opted to end their relationship with him in favor of rolling the dice with ex-player and former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Tuchel comes complete with a reputation as one of the most progressive managers in the game, winning two Ligue 1 titles in his brief spell in the French capital. 

It isn't thought that Tuchel will remain on the open market for very long, so his potential availability could put pressure on Abramovich to make a swift decision on Lampard's future.

Whether or not Tuchel would be quite as transformative as another ex-Dortmund coach who revolutionized the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp, remains to be seen - but Abramovich may well be tempted to give it a shot.

Max Allegri

Italian manager Allegri has been out of work for 18 months since he left Juventus on the back of five consecutive Serie A titles in May of 2019. Ever since, he was been a perennial candidate for practically any managerial position that has become available.

Allegri has so far resisted any urges to step back into management but, at 53, he is thought to be close to ending his coaching exile before long.

His managerial resume rivals that of any top-level coach in Europe and would almost certainly be coveted by Abramovich as he plots Chelsea's return to European football's top table. 

Julian Nagelsmann

At just 33, Germany's Nagelsmann looks to be one of the top young managers in the game. He has helped to position RB Leipzig as one of the Bundesliga's most consistent teams and added to his already stellar reputation after his side contributed to Manchester United's elimination from this season's Champions League group stages.

His age and relative inexperience would likely be considered a factor against his candidacy, though. Nagelsmann is yet to win any top-level silverware, which could compel Chelsea's decision-makers to opt for a boss with a more proven history of success, such as Allegri.

John Terry

Selected as the sixth-favorite for a managerial opening at the club he captained for more than a decade, club legend Terry - currently an assistant at Aston Villa - would represent the same type of appointment as Lampard, even if he would come in with less managerial experience than Lampard did when he assumed the job in 2019. 

However, it appears unlikely that Chelsea and Abramovich would consider replacing Lampard with Terry at a time when Lampard's inexperience at top-level management is being cited by some as the reason for Chelsea's recent on-field woes.