Breakthrough In Stoke City Manager Search

Narcis Pelach looks set to take the vacant head coach position at Stoke City after positive talks between the two parties.

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, The Potters are set to confirm the Norwich City coach as their new boss within the next couple of days. It is however too late for him to take charge of tonight’s clash against Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup, with Ryan Shawcross in the dugout.

City moved quickly to secure the Spaniard after sacking Steven Schumacher yesterday. Despite only being in place nine months after being poached from Plymouth Argyle, higher-ups in Staffordshire moved to oust their second manager in twelve months after the departure of ex-Sunderland boss Alex Neil.

Schumacher left Stoke in 13th place with two wins and three defeats, but a defeat against Oxford United was ultimately the final straw for Sporting Director Jon Walters to act. He said in a statement: “My role as Sporting Director is to make tough decisions that serve the long-term interests of Stoke City.

“After ongoing discussions with John Coates, we feel the time is right for a change in direction to bring success to the club.

“We have a young, dynamic squad that is eager to develop and a clear vision of how to achieve success, and we hope to announce a new appointment shortly. We will need the fans, staff, and players united in support to achieve our goals.

“As always in football, these decisions are difficult, and we wish Steven and his staff all the best for the future.”

Pelach, known as Chicho, made his name as a coach for his boyhood club Girona before joining as an assistant manager for Carlos Corberan at Huddersfield Town. He took charge of three games as an interim in West Yorkshire after the departure of his compatriot and Mark Fotheringham.

He moved to Norwich City to join David Wagner’s staff, and remained to be a first-team coach under Johannes Hoff Thorup. The Telegraph’s John Percy also reported that goalkeeping coach Paul Clements would make the move to Staffordshire with the 36-year-old.

Writer’s View

It seems that Stoke City have been very clinical in their approach to secure Narcis Pelach as their next manager. Within hours of the sacking of Steven Schumacher they had already lined him up as their preferred option and now a day later have seemingly secured the deal. Spanish managers have been very successful across England’s top two divisions recently and The Potters look set to join the trend.

Pelach may have been in the Championship for four years now, but the leap from being a coach to the one in charge cannot be overestimated. He has managed just three times across his spell and a first full-time gig does beg questions of if he is ready to do this. Stoke have made a habit of replacing managers within a short spell recently, so they have to get this move right or the decision to remove Schumacher will reflect poorly in the future.

RELATED ARTICLES

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

Leave a Reply