Former Bristol City manager Lee Johnson is among the favourites to return to his former stomping ground and take the vacant job at Barnsley.
The Tykes parted company with Poya Asbaghi after their relegation to League One was confirmed following Friday's 2-1 away defeat to Huddersfield.
Former Barnsley player and academy coach Martin Devaney has been named as caretaker manager until the end of the season when the club will reassess their options before preparing for life in the third tier.
Preparations are undoubtedly underway to draft a shortlist of names to find a long-term appointment with the likes of Jonathan Woodgate and Gareth Ainsworth being touted.
The bookies also suggest Johnson could make a return to Oakwell as he plots a route back into management following his sacking at Sunderland.
Johnson, 40, has been without work since leaving the Black Cats in January in the wake of their humiliating 6-0 loss at home to Bolton Wanderers.
It is understood that he wants a swift return to management and Barnsley could be the team to offer him an opportunity to step back inside the dugout, six years after leaving the club.
Johnson spent just shy of a year at Barnsley following his appointment in 2015, winning 20 of his 51 matches in charge before leaving to follow in his father's footsteps to manage Bristol City.
According to the bookies, Devaney remains 2/1 favourite to take the job permanently with Johnson 12/1 to be handed a return to his old club. Only five other names have shorter odds than Johnson to take the position.
Wycombe's Ainsworth, the longest-serving one-club manager in the top four divisions, is joint second favourite alongside former Burnley defender and current Cheltenham manager Michael Duff.
Woodgate and Barnsley's old manager Daniel Stendel are both 10/1 for the role ahead of Johnson and Simon Grayson. Ex-City manager Tony Pulis is also one of the names on the bookies' shortlist.
Johnson has been linked with numerous jobs since becoming unemployed having been linked with Peterborough in February after Darren Ferguson left his position.
He was also touted for the Bradford position before the club announced the surprise appointment of Mark Hughes.
Pulis has been without work since leaving Sheffield Wednesday in December 2020 - having managed just 10 matches with the Midlands club winning once.
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