By Gareth James
Osian Roberts heads the early betting as favourite to take over from Rob Page as Wales manager.
Page was dismissed on Friday morning following the dismal friendly performances against Gibraltar and Slovakia, which intensified the pressure built by the failure to qualify for Euro 2024.
Now, attention will turn to who replaces the outgoing Wales boss, as the FAW look to lay the necessary groundwork ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and Nations League campaign.
Osian Roberts as manager and Thierry Henry as the assistant teaching Brennan Johnson how to bury chances like prime Titi.
I have a dream and sadly it is just a dream, but fuck me it’s a good one…🏴 pic.twitter.com/bVupl7yMVy
— Jordan (@JordanWebber96) June 21, 2024
Roberts is unquestionably the favoured choice by supporters, and it’s perhaps no surprise to see him emerge as the leading candidate with bookmakers.
DragonBet currently have the Como boss priced at evens of 1/1, making him the clear early favourite.
Craig Bellamy, who was interviewed for the role before the FAW opted for Ryan Giggs is second favourite at 3/1. The former striker is currently in temporary charge at Burnley, and would also be another popular choice.
Others seemingly in the mix include Nathan Jones and Chris Coleman (both at 16/1), as well as Rob Edwards and Mark Hughes (25/1).
Osian Roberts Is The Welsh King Of Como . . . And Is Guiding Them Towards Italy’s Best
Page spent four years in charge of the national side, having initially been given the role on an interim basis in November 2020 after taking over from Ryan Giggs.
He was then appointed permanently in September 2022, overseeing the team compete at two major tournaments.
He took Wales to the Covid-delayed 2020 European Championship finals in 2021, where they reached the round of 16 before being knocked out by Denmark.
The following year Page’s team secured a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a play-off final win against Ukraine.
It meant Wales qualified for the tournament for the first time since 1958, but a poor performance saw the side finish bottom of their group with only one point.
Diolch am dy wasanaeth Rob.
🏴⚽️
Rob Page will always be a @Cymru football hero to me, as player and manager. 41 caps, took us to a World Cup and represented the best of our values. Thanks for everything.
Now looking forward to a fresh start. 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/bWZAbMNhBv— Rhun ap Iorwerth (@RhunapIorwerth) June 21, 2024
Since that Ukraine game, Wales have only won five times in 22 fixtures.
They also failed to qualify for Euro 2024 after being beaten 5-4 on penalties by Poland in the play-offs in March following a goalless affair in normal time.
The pressure further mounted on Page following two disappointing friendly games at the beginning of June, where Wales were thrashed 4-0 by Slovakia and held to a 0-0 draw against Gibraltar, ranked 203rd in the world.
Page’s departure was confirmed on Friday, with FA Wales chief executive Noel Mooney thanking Page for his work.
In a statement on the FAW website, Mooney said: “On behalf of myself and the entire FAW, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rob for his commitment and dedication to his roles for the National Teams.
“Under Rob Page’s leadership, our Cymru men’s team has achieved significant milestones and victories which have created many incredible memories for our nation, most notably our first World Cup in 64 years.”
“We remain focused on our FAW value of ‘Excellence’ and look forward to the opportunities for our national teams and Welsh Football.”
I disliked the demonisation of Rob Page. A genuinely good man who took us to the first World Cup in most of our lifetimes. His limitations were undeniably exposed during his tenure but nobody can say he didn’t care about Wales. This is the right decision, but he deserves respect.
— Simon Price﮷ (@simon_price01) June 21, 2024
Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey paid his own personal tribute to Page on X, adding that it was a “privilege” to work with him.
“It has been a journey we can all be proud of from the euros to taking Wales to a World Cup for the first time since 58,” Ramsey said.
“I personally just want to thank you for all you have done for me. You have been a privilege to work with, a gentleman and true family man.
“Myself and the team will forever be grateful for your guidance. These past few years are years we will treasure. Thank you, Rambo.”
FAW chief football officer Dave Adams also expressed his gratitude to Page, who began his management career with Wales as Under-21s head coach.
Adams added: “I would like to thank Rob for his work with the Association over the last seven years, firstly as the U21s Head Coach and then onto the role of Cymru Head Coach.
“Rob’s work has delivered success reaching the Round of 16 at EURO 2020 and qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and during his period we also integrated 18 pathway players into the senior squad. As we move forward this experience will support our objective to consistently qualify our Men’s National Team to major tournaments.”