Stoke City Urged To Pursue Norwich City Man As Steven Schumacher Successor

The search for a new Stoke City manager is underway, with Steven Schumacher given the axe at the bet365 Stadium after just five matches of the 24/25 campaign.

A 1-0 defeat against Oxford United at the weekend was the final straw for the Potters’ hierarchy, who made the decision to remove the former Plymouth Argyle boss from his post after two wins and three defeats to start the campaign.

One of the early names to be linked with the vacancy in Staffordshire is Norwich City coach Narcis Pelach, with the Canaries said to have given their Championship rivals permission to speak to the Spaniard.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s resident Stoke fan Sam Harrison regarding the links to the 36-year-old.Narcis Pelach early contender for Stoke City role after Steven Schumacher departure

After Schumacher’s tenure in the Potteries came to an end after just nine months earlier today, Stoke have wasted no time in approaching potential candidates to take over the reins for the season ahead.

Pelach is said to be one of those being considered for the role, with the Spaniard previously being part of Carlos Corberan’s Huddersfield Town side that reached the playoff final in 2022, before moving to Carrow Road in May of last year.

The connections with the current West Bromwich Albion boss are ones that tantalise Harrison as it stands, with the Baggies currently the team earning plenty of admirers in the second tier.

The Potters fan said: “It is an interesting link this one, I think it is one that is different to what we have had before.

“You look at who Stoke have had before, he obviously had Steven Schumacher, Alex Neil, Gary Rowett, Nathan Jones, who are all British managers.

“So a different style of football, or a different implement that we get into the club could be the difference-maker that Stoke need.

“But with that, I’ve realised that Narcis Pelach was on the coaching staff with Carlos Corberan at Huddersfield, and I’m a big fan of Corberan.

“So if he has a style of play similar to what Carlos Corberan has at West Brom, that would be quite exciting.”

While Pelach will no doubt have his own philosophies if he does get offered his first role as an EFL manager, Harrison believes the positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to appointing a new name in the dugout.

He continued: “Obviously, he [Corberan] has got them playing total different football to what Stoke do, because he has had them playing near the top of the Championship for a lot of the seasons he has been there, compared to Stoke being near the relegation last season.

“It is one of them that you look at and is the question does he have the experience, or is a different style and different tactic what we need, with something fresh and something new with someone who has built up his experience as an assistant manager.”

Stoke City urged to take a chance on Narcis Pelach

You don’t have to look far around the Championship to be inspired by those thriving in their first managerial role, with Tom Cleverley and Danny Rohl among those to prove you can succeed if given the opportunity.

Michael Carrick continues to impress at The Riverside, while John Mousinho’s work at Portsmouth has seen them return to the second tier this season, with all four bosses never having been in charge of a club before being trusted by their current employers.

With Pelach obviously having the ambition to move into management at some stage in his career, Harrison believes there is no time like the present to take a chance on a different approach within the City setup, with his side likely to reap the rewards if the punt pays off.

He added: “If the link is true then you look at it and think that him moving into management is bound to happen at some point, so are we going to take the risk?

“At the end of the day, people are always going to look at it as a risk, because it is someone who has always been an assistant manager, and will he make a difference if he makes the step up?

“We are only going to know if and when it does happen, so it is an interesting one. I wouldn’t be against it, he seems a good manager and the Corberan link could be a key one.

“That style of football that he plays, could that correlate to the way Pelach wants his sides to set up? It will be an interesting one, and I would be interested to see who the number one candidate is.”