Next Stoke Manager: Poyet, Benitez and Di Matteo make the early running

Go on son! Pulis' dulcet tones will no longer be heard at the Britannia

Betfair has opened a market on the next Stoke manager after it emerged that Tony Pulis is to depart the Britannia following a meeting with chairman Peter Coates this morning.

The Welshman spent a total of ten years at the Britannia Stadium. He first took the job in 2002 before spending a season at Plymouth Argyle in 2005/6 but then returning to Staffordshire to lead the Potters into the Premier League for the first time. 

Pulis did well to establish Stoke as a top flight outfit, taking them to an FA Cup final in 2011 and into Europe, playing a brand of football that was unloved by the purists, but undoubtedly effective.

However, after five years in the Premier League and heavy investment in the transfer market - only Manchester City and Chelsea have a higher net spend over that period - Stoke have failed to push on, leading to some supporter unrest and Pulis' time in the hotseat has come to an end.

The early Betfair market for next Stoke manager has a distinctly Chelsea flavour at the top, with Roberto Di Matteo, Rafael Benitez and Brighton boss Gus Poyet (currently suspended from the club) all trading at sub 10.09/1 prices.

The market also features young managers such as Eddie Howe as well as familiar names like Harry Redknapp and Mark Hughes.

Who's your money on?

Check out our end of season report on Stoke.