Updated at 14.58
A BOOKIE HAS suspended betting amid rumours that Ireland boss Martin O’Neill is set to become the new Leicester manager.
The Leicester Mercury reports that O’Neill’s odds have gone from 10-1 to 1-4 this morning, with bookmaker William Hill suspending betting after a number of four-figure sums were wagered recently.
“There are some people out there who seem convinced that O’Neill is very close to getting the job if he hasn’t accepted the role already,” a spokesperson for the betting company is quoted as saying.
Leicester are without a manager after Nigel Pearson departed the club this summer, while O’Neill has struggled as Ireland manager, with the Boys in Green looking increasingly unlikely to qualify for Euro 2016.
O’Neill has several years of experience managing in the Premier League, and previously had a successful stint as Leicester manager between 1995 and 2000.
The FAI have yet to make an official comment on the speculation, despite several attempts by The42 to contact them, however a source told The Guardian that the association would not stand in O’Neill’s way should he opt to join Leicester.
