Roberto Martinez new favourite for Real Madrid job

Julen Lopetegui was sacked on Monday evening but there have already been four different favourites to replace him as Real Madrid manager and Roberto Martinez is the new man to head the betting.

Belgium boss Martinez, who is under contract with the World Cup semi-finalists until 2020, is rumoured to be among Madrid's top targets and bookmakers reacted by slashing the Spaniard to as short as 9-4. He is best at 11-4 with bet365.

Whether Martinez is first choice remains to be seen but he could be easier to prise away to the Bernabeu than Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The Spurs boss signed a new contract until 2023 in the summer and trying to do a deal with notoriously tough negotiator Daniel Levy was said to have been a stumbling block when Real Madrid were first looking to replace Zinedine Zidane. That botched, prolonged hunt eventually saw Lopetegui hired from the Spanish national team just before the World Cup.

Pochettino's mood has shifted since the season started, however, following a summer transfer window in which saw no new players arrive at Spurs and the farce regarding the switch to the new stadium, which has been postponed until at least January.

The Argentinian, without a trophy to his name as a manager, has still carved out an excellent reputation following his time at Espanyol, Southampton and Spurs and had been favourite with bookmakers prior to the move for FA Cup winner Martinez.

Pochettino, who ranges from 3-1 to 10-1 to be the first Premier League manager to leave his current position, could even be seen as a longer-term option for the end of this season if interim coach Santiago Solari is able to steady the ship after the dismal 5-1 Clasico battering at Barcelona on Sunday.

Solari was odds-on at one stage to replace Lopetegui but finds himself 5-2 to get the job permanently, while Antonio Conte has drifted to 20-1 after reportedly ruling himself out of the running for the Bernabeu hotseat.

Conte was trading at 1-20 on Monday afternoon, although the fact that he has apparently distanced himself from the job may have much to do with certain influential Real Madrid players being unhappy at the prospect of such a tough disciplinarian entering the dressing room.

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