Former Birmingham City manager John Eustace is keen on taking the vacant position at Stoke City, according to Birmingham Live.
The 44-year-old was dismissed by the Blues in October, despite a strong start which had seen the West Midlands club rise into the play-off places following a 3-1 win over city rivals West Bromwich Albion. However, Wayne Rooney’s resignation at MLS outfit DC United peaked the American owners’ interest and they made the decision to replcace the fan favourite with the former Manchester United and England striker.
It’s fair to say that it hasn’t paid off thus far, with Rooney picking up just one win from his opening nine games. The 38-year-old is beginning to come under pressure from some sections of the Birmingham support and the excellent job done by Eustace in the opening part of the season has only added to the scrutiny.
The ex-midfielder has not been short of offers since leaving St Andrew’s, as exclusively revealed to The Real EFL by Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman last week:
“I was with John last Friday at a charity function and he’s had opportunities to go back in, but he has been waiting for the right one. His stock still remains high.”
“When you watch the way Birmingham have slipped down the table, he wouldn’t want that because he’s a great guy and he’s got Birmingham City in his heart, but it only highlights what a great job he did.”
Although linked to the vacant positions at both Sunderland and Swansea City, Stoke City became the latest second tier club to opt for a managerial change after sacking Alex Neil yesterday. The Staffordshire side are on the verge of the relegation places and Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday proved to be the final straw.
https://twitter.com/stokecity/status/1733894357793599746
Eustace was almost immediately installed as the favourite and it is claimed that he is keen to take over the mantle from the outgoing Neil. The ex-Republic of Ireland coach made 84 appearances for the Potters during his playing career and still holds an affinity to the club. Plus, it would mean that there would be no need to relocate from Birmingham, with the two cities separated by just 45 miles.
In the meantime, Paul Gallagher will lead Stoke into tomorrow’s clash with Swansea City before the tough trip to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Writer’s View
Eustace was never going to be out of work for long due to the excellent job he did at Birmingham and he has been afforded the luxury of being able to pick and choose his next role. Whilst a move to Stoke is far from a done deal, it does look like the pair are a match made in heaven.
The Potters will harbour ambitions of returning to the Premier League, although this season will be about cementing their place in the Championship. The former Blues boss has already achieved similar during his spell at St Andrew’s and is the outstanding candidate on paper.
Head of Writing
