Former Leeds United, Leicester City and Middlesbrough man emerges as favourite for EFL position

Former Leeds United defender Sol Bamba has emerged as the favourite for the vacant Cardiff City job.

The ex-Leicester City, Hibs and Middlesbrough man was reported to be offered the position earlier this week following the news Sabri Lamouchi will leave the club.

The head coach signed a six-month deal in Wales after joining the side in January. He achieved his goal of keeping Cardiff in the Championship but will not have his stay extended.

A club statement read on Tuesday: “Cardiff City Football Club can confirm that Sabri Lamouchi will depart at the conclusion of his current deal.

“Sabri joined the Bluebirds at the end of January 2023, overseeing 18 fixtures, and winning six matches. Cardiff City would like to thank Sabri for his efforts and contribution in helping us secure our place in the Championship for 2023/24 and wish him all the very best for the future.

“The Board of Directors at Cardiff City FC have already begun the process of appointing a new management team.”

Bamba was Lamouchi’s assistant and is the 1/6 favourite with the bookmakers to be appointed. However, Wales Online report Cardiff have ‘played down’ the reports linking Bamba with the vacant position.

Cardiff are set to appoint their fifth manager since Mick McCarthy was appointed in January 2021.

Former Luton Town and Southampton boss Nathan Jones was made the early favourite to take over by the bookmakers but Bamba remains odds-on despite Cardiff’s reported denial of Bamba being offered the job.

Leeds met Cardiff twice this season, drawing 2-2 with the Championship club in a dramatic third round FA Cup tie before winning the replay 5-2 at Elland Road.

Bamba joined Leeds on loan for the second half of the 2014-15 season before joining on a permanent basis ahead of the next season. The defender criticised then Leeds owner Massimo Cellino but still penned a two-year deal at Elland Road and was named captain of the club.

With Garry Monk in charge for the 2016-17 campaign, Bamba quickly fell behind Kyle Bartley, Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson in the pecking order and terminated his contract by mutual consent at the beginning of September.

He joined Cardiff City in October 2016 and was promoted with the club a year later. He joined Middlesbrough in 2021 and has not played since leaving the club in the summer of 2022.