JULIEN Sable remains favourite with the bookmakers to become the next Sunderland manager - but Kim Hellberg's odds have tumbled after reports from Sweden claiming he was set for talks with the Black Cats.

A spokesperson for Oddschecker says there's been a "shift" in the market in the last 24 hours, with odds for the likes of Will Still and Steven Schumacher drifting.

Sable is now an even money favourite ahead of Hellberg, who is as short as 2/1. Reims boss Still and Plymouth manager Schumacher are 6/1 ahead of Eric Roy and Paul Heckingbottom at 12s.

John Eustace is 16/1 and then there are a host of names - many extremely unlikely - at 20/1 and higher, including Steve Bruce, Frank Lampard and Roy Keane.

According to reports in Scandinavia, Hellberg is due to hold talks with Sunderland. The 35-year-old is currently unattached having left IFK Varnamo after leading them to a fifth-placed finish in the Swedish top flight.

He has been lined up for a switch to another Swedish club, Hammarby, who are looking for a new head coach after their former boss, Marti Cifuentes, moved to the English Championship to take over at QPR last month, but a report in respected Swedish media outlet Sportbladet now claims he's due to meet Sunderland chiefs for discussions.

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A spokesperson for Oddschecker told the Northern Echo: "Over the past 24 hours, the Sunderland next manager market has once again experienced a shift, with Kim Hellberg now joining Julien Sable at the top of the betting.

"Hellberg's odds plummeted from 14/1 to 5/4 on Wednesday following reports that he is in talks with the Sunderland hierarchy.

"Sable continues to be the most popular choice on Oddschecker to replace Mowbray, representing 38% of all bets placed this week. I now anticipate that the betting market will stabilise."

Latest odds (according to BetVictor):

Julien Sable - 1/1

Kim Hellberg - 2/1

Will Still - 6/1

Steven Schumacher - 6/1

Eric Roy - 12/1

Paul Heckingbottom - 12/1

John Eustace - 16/1

Dean Smith - 20/1

Steve Bruce - 20/1

Graham Potter - 25/1

Kevin Phillips - 25/1

Mike Dodds - 25/1

Frank Lampard - 25/1