Gerrard, Conte and Lampard early frontrunners for Newcastle job

A Saudi Arabia-backed consortium, backed by Amanda Stavelely, completed a deal to buy the Premier League club on Thursday.

Newcastle are winless this season with their latest defeat to Wolves dropping them into the relegation zone and it would be a major surprise if the new owners did not replace Steve Bruce.

Bruce has been unpopular on Tyneside ever since his 2019 appointment, even amid more positive results last season.

The former Sunderland boss insisted he will never walk away from Newcastle in response to talkSPORT's Simon Jordan telling him to quit.

But Bruce may no longer have a choice, and has told The Telegraph he fears he now faces the sack.

A host of names are being talked about as potential replacements for Bruce, with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard emerging as the early favourite having done a fine job at Rangers.

Former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte, a Premier League and Serie A title winner, is also being viewed as a potential contender, as is ex-Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

Frank Lampard, another manager out of work having been axed by Chelsea earlier this year, is among the frontrunners too.

Leicester's Brendan Rodgers has also been backed in to among the favourites, while Alan Shearer seemingly has his backers too for what would be a fairytale - but highly unlikely - return.

Here's the list of the top contenders in full, according to BetVictor. Odds correct at time of writing on Friday, October 8.

Steven Gerrard - 3/1

Eddie Howe - 4/1

Antonio Conte - 5/1

Brendan Rodgers 6/1

Frank Lampard - 8/1

Rafa Benitez - 8/1

Unai Emery - 12/1

Roberto Martinez - 12/1

Alan Shearer - 16/1

Paulo Fonseca - 16/1

Chris Wilder 18/1

Graeme Jones - 20/1

Joachim Low - 20/1

Zinedine Zidane - 25/1