Ex-Sunderland pair Tony Mowbray and Alex Neil among early favourites for Millwall job
Millwall manager Neil Harris will leave the club after this weekend’s Championship clash with Middlesbrough
Former Sunderland managers Alex Neil and Tony Mowbray are among the early contenders to replace Neil Harris at Millwall, according to bookmakers.
The 47-year-old confirmed that he will be leaving the Lions at the end of the week following their Championship double-header against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough. Harris is currently in the midst of his second stint in charge of the club having returned to East London in February. Under his guidance, Millwall finished 13th in the table last season, and are just six points adrift of the play-off places at the time of writing.
Nevertheless, Harris confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that he plans to step down from his post in the immediate future. He said: "Everyone knows this club is more than a job to me, it's my club, and always will be. I always said when I returned that I would leave when the time felt right, and now is that time."
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
At this stage, there are no concrete indications as to who Millwall will replace Harris with, although director of football Steve Gallen has revealed that the recruitment process has commenced already. He said: "A comprehensive recruitment process was already under way for a new head coach. The direction we as a club want to head in is clear and the next head coach will play a pivotal role in helping us execute our strategy."
And it would appear that a couple of familiar faces could be in the early running. According to bookmakers, former Sunderland boss Neil is priced at 7/2, while fellow ex-Black Cat Mowbray, who has been out of work since leaving Birmingham City for health reasons earlier this year, currently boasts odds of 12/1.
Elsewhere, Ryan Lowe, who parted company Preston North End after just one game of the current Championship campaign, is the bookies’ favourite at 2/1, with Steven Schumacher, who was most recently head coach of Stoke City, priced at 5/2. Other notable names include Steve Cooper, sacked by Leicester City last month, at 3/1, Wycombe Wanderers boss Matt Bloomfield at 4/1, and former Hartlepool United chief Dave Challinor at 5/1.