Lambert now the sole runner for Villa as Martinez commits to Wigan

Paul Lambert is now 8/11 to take over at Aston Villa and this price seems set to shorten in the coming days after Roberto Martinez turned down the club for the second successive summer.

Villa had difficulty appointing a successor to Gerard Houllier last summer, with Mark Hughes, Rafa Benitez and Martinez all reportedly rejecting terms before Alex McLeish was finally appointed.

After parting company with McLeish, Villa’s chase for a new boss is in danger of following a similar pattern, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously hotly fancied to take over and at one stage he was 1/10 to be the next manager.

However, the unveiling of Solskjaer has failed to materialise as yet and given that he is now 25/1 in the next Aston Villa manager betting, it is unlikely to.

This left Martinez and Lambert as the leading targets, but the latest developments are that the former has pledged his future to Wigan after in depth chats with chairman Dave Whelan.

The decision could have also been influenced by Brendan Rodgers being named the new manager of Liverpool, a position that Martinez was also heavily touted to be in the running for.

Although it remains unknown if he turned down Liverpool or vice versa, with some reports suggesting that the Spaniard was unhappy to work alongside three sporting directors.

Either way, the path has been cleared for Lambert, who would be a welcome appointment among the majority of Aston Villa supporters given the job that he has done at Norwich.

Lambert is recognised for his tactical astuteness and to some has credentials that outweigh those of Martinez.

Although there is the concern that he may complete the hat-trick and also turn down Aston Villa, especially if feeling that he was only third choice for the position in the first place.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.