Blackburn Rovers and Stockport County supporters will breathe a sigh of relief after new Stoke City development: View | OneFootball

The Potters may have already identified a replacement for Steven Schumacher

Stoke City sprung something of a surprise on the rest of the Championship on Monday morning with the sacking of manager Steven Schumacher.

The 40-year-old had only been appointed as Potters boss back in December last year, after leaving his role with Championship rivals Plymouth Argyle to take over from Alex Neil.

But despite being handed a three-and-a-half-year contract, and guiding the club clear of the Championship relegation zone last season, Schumacher has now been dismissed from his role.

That comes after a mixed start to the current campaign, in which Stoke sit 13th in the current standings, with two wins and three defeats in the league to their name.

Now, the task for those in charge of the club is to find a replacement for Schumacher, and it seems they already have a top target in mind.

Stoke move for Norwich figure as Schumacher replacement

Shortly after it had been revealed that Schumacher would leave his role at Stoke, speculation began as to who might take over, although it appears there is already a leader in the race to take over.

According to Daily Telegraph journalist John Percy, the Potters' Championship rivals Norwich City have already given them permission to hold talks with Narcis Pelach about the vacancy.

Pelach is currently a first-team coach working as an assistant to Johanes Hoff Thorup at Carrow Road, and has previously taken interim charge of Huddersfield Town in the Championship.

This would now give the 36-year-old the chance to take on his first senior managerial role at this level, which may well be appealing to the Spaniard.

As a result, it could be argued that this update on Stoke's seemingly fast-moving search for a new boss will be a relief for fans of two other teams, namely Blackburn Rovers and Stockport County.

Blackburn and Stockport could avoid Stoke interest

While he may now be the front-runner, Pelach is not the only name to have been linked with the managerial vacancy in the Potteries.

It had also been suggested that Blackburn head coach John Eustace and Stockport manager Dave Challinor are in contention for the roles.

However, supporters of those clubs will no doubt be desperate to see talks over the appointment of Pelach to take charge of Stoke end successfully.

Eustace does, of course, have a connection with the Potters that could make a move there interesting for him, after playing for the club between 2003 and 2008.

But having just kept Blackburn in the Championship last season, the 44-year-old is now starting to show just how well he could do at Ewood Park.

Rovers have made an unbeaten start to the league campaign, and currently sit third in the early standings, following some impressive performances.

The heart and spirit Eustace has instilled in his squad has generated a sense of belief and optimism among the fanbase at Ewood Park that has arguably not been felt for quite some time.

It would therefore, feel like a big blow for Blackburn to lose him now - especially to a rival - at such an early stage of what, right now, feels like it could be an exciting season for the Lancashire outfit.

Challinor, meanwhile, may also see the chance to manage in the Championship with a club the size of Stoke as an appealing one.

But having overseen two promotions from the National League to League One in three seasons, it would feel like a major blow for Stockport to lose their manager to the Potters now as well.

The 48-year-old is also showing he knows how to get a tune out of his squad in the third-tier of English football as well, with the Hatters currently fourth in the table.

With that in mind, Stockport would also be under some considerable pressure to find a manager who can build on his good work, if he was to leave for Stoke.

There is, of course, no guarantee that either side would be successful with that, and they will surely not want to change the winning formula they look to have found, if they do not have to.

It seems, therefore, that fans of Blackburn Rovers and Stockport County, may be just as hopeful to see Pelach in the Stoke City dugout in the near future, as supporters of any other club.