Reports that Joe Kinnear is set to appoint Mick Harford as his assistant has raised further doubts over Alan Pardew’s future as manager of Newcastle United.

The Magpies, who last season finished just two places above the relegation zone, are the only side to have not signed a senior player so far this summer.

The club have also seen some of their key players linked with moves away from St. James’ Park, with Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa reportedly targets for Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.

While the bookmakers do not necessarily see Newcastle as likely candidates for relegation, most do see Pardew as the favourite to be the next top flight manager to leave his post, with Paddy Power offering the best price of 4.33 (10/3).

Swansea City’s Michael Laudrup, who has recently been linked to the vacant managerial position at Barcelona, is next in the list at 8.0 (7/1) with Sky Bet.

The former Denmark international guided the Welsh club to their first ever major trophy and their best league finish in over thirty years last season, but was last month said to be on the verge of leaving the club following a reported dispute with the clubs owner Huw Jenkins.

Martin Jol of Fulham is a 12.0 (11/1) shot with Coral, with the club having recently been taken over by Pakistani-American businessman Shahid Khan.

All too often in the Premier League, new owners mean a new manager, which arguably explains why the Dutchman is so high on the list on potential managers under threat.

Sunderland’s Paolo Di Canio and Andres Villas-Boas of Tottenham Hotspur are both available at 13.0 (12/1) with Paddy Power, while Stoke City’s Mark Hughes is the most likely of all the managers starting new jobs at 34.0 (33/1) with William Hill.

Roberto Martinez, who recently took over at Everton is priced at 51.0 (50/1) with Coral, while in David Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho, last season’s top three also have new men at the helm, all of which a 67.0 (66/1) chance to become the first managerial casualty of the season.