Michael O'Neill early favourite to take over at West Brom following Tony Pulis departure

The search for a new manager at West Bromwich Albion has begun after Tony Pulis was fired on Monday morning.

The Baggies were thrashed 4-0 by Chelsea at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon, which proved to be the final straw as Albion’s winless run stretched to 11 games in all competitions.

Gary Megson has taken temporary charge of the club until a permanent manager is appointed, with Paddy Power making Michael O’Neill the early favourite for the job at 10/3 (4.33).

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The Northern Ireland manager was linked to the Sunderland hotseat and has reportedly planned talks with the SFA to take charge of Scotland, but West Brom may make the 48-year-old their primary target.

Sam Allardyce, who has also been strongly connected with almost every vacant managerial job since leaving Crystal Palace in May, is priced at 7/1 (8.0) to be unveiled by the Baggies.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder can be backed at 9/1 (10.0), although the Englishman may take some prying away from the Blades considering they sit second in the Championship behind Wolves.

Derek McInnes of Aberdeen and ex-Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson are both priced at 10/1 (11.0) by the odds compiler, and a Premier League return could certainly be tempting for the latter given his unceremonious departure from the Foxes in 2015.

Alan Pardew and Martin O’Neill are each quoted at 14/1 (15.0), whilst Megson is the same price and the market will be settled with him as a winner if he takes charge of 10 consecutive matches – even if he is not formally announced as the permanent successor.

Meanwhile, Claudio Ranieri and Louis van Gaal are both available at 20/1 (21.0) to come back to England’s top flight, with Ryan Giggs also at the same price.

Check out all the latest West Brom manager odds with Paddy Power here!