Who is Narcis Pelach? The Norwich City man Stoke City want to replace Steven Schumacher | OneFootball

Stoke City have been given permission to talk to Narcis Pelach over their vacant managerial role.

Stoke City are on the lookout for a new head coach after Steven Schumacher’s exit, with Narcis Pelach emerging as a contender for the role.

The Potters have endured a mixed start to the season, picking up six points from their first five games, with a 1-0 loss at Oxford on Saturday the third time they’ve been beaten in the league.

Stoke City make move for Narcis Pelach

Nevertheless, it was still a surprise to many when it was announced that Schumacher had departed, as sporting director Jon Walters leads the search for his successor.

And, according to the Telegraph, Stoke have made a move to bring in Pelach, with Norwich granting permission for their first-team coach to speak to the Staffordshire outfit.

“Stoke City are moving quickly after the dismissal of Steven Schumacher. Norwich have given Stoke permission to speak with first-team coach Narcis Pélach over the job. Pélach expected to take GK coach Paul Clements if talks are successful.”

Narcis Pelach’s career so far

The 36-year-old is likely to be a name that few Stoke fans have heard of, and if he does land the managerial job at the Bet365 Stadium, it will be his first senior role in this country.

Pelach’s playing career was spent in his home country of Spain, as he came through the ranks of local side Girona, although he didn’t feature for the first-team.

Instead, he dropped down the leagues, featuring for Cassa, Manlleu, Palamos and Figueres.

It was with the latter that Pelach got into coaching, initially working with the youth side before taking the managerial role for two years.

After a year with another lower league side, Peralada, Pelach would return to Girona as an assistant for one year.

Then, his first experience of English football would follow, as he joined Huddersfield as an assistant to Carlos Corberan, during which time they would reach the play-off final before losing to Nottingham Forest.

During his time with the Terriers, Pelach was highly regarded as a coach, and he had two spells in charge on an interim basis, although he didn’t land the top job.

Pelach’s three-year spell with Huddersfield came to an end in 2023, and he would then link up with Norwich as first-team coach, which remains his current role.

Appointing Narcis Pelach would be a bold move from Stoke City

Clearly, with his lack of experience as a manager, this would be a bold move for Stoke, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t excite the fans.

Pelach is a highly-rated coach, and he could bring fresh ideas to the team, as there is a lot of talent within the group.

Some would argue that Stoke should be looking to appoint a more proven boss, but the club have been down that road in the past, and it hasn’t worked for the Potters.

So, this would be an intriguing one, and it would be a fantastic opportunity for Pelach if he does take over.