"Jack Wilshere would have been exciting" - Notts County fired Joao Alves warning in Stuart Maynard replacement quest | OneFootball

FLW's Notts County fan pundit has given his thoughts on the potential appointment of Joao Alves as the club's new head coach.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Notts County are currently on the hunt for a new head coach after parting company with Stuart Maynard.

Maynard made the move from non-league side Wealdstone to take over at Notts County last January, and his side spent much of the season in and around the automatic promotion places, but they missed out on the top three on the final day of the campaign, eventually finishing in sixth place.

The Magpies suffered further heartbreak as they were beaten 2-0 on aggregate by AFC Wimbledon in their play-off semi-final, with the underwhelming performance in the second leg at the Cherry Red Records Stadium causing particular frustration among supporters, and the club made the decision to dismiss Maynard last Thursday.

In a statement, owners Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz praised Maynard for his "considerable commitment and dedication to the role", but they admitted that "neither results nor performances reached the levels we believe the team was capable of", especially during the "defining period" towards the end of the season.

The Reedtz brothers confirmed that the search for a new coaching team is "well underway", and while there have been no concrete links just yet, Jack Wilshere, who recently left Championship side Norwich City after a brief interim spell in charge at Carrow Road, emerged high up the bookies' odds list this week.

However, Joao Alves has now been installed as the favourite to replace Maynard, and it remains to be seen whether the 35-year-old, who has served as both an analyst and assistant coach at Meadow Lane in recent years, will be given the opportunity to step up to the top job.

Notts County sent firm Joao Alves warning as manager hunt continues

When asked for his thoughts on the potential appointment of Alves, FLW's Notts County fan pundit Gareth Parr admitted he believes it would be too soon for him to take over as manager, and he warned the club that they would need to bolster the backroom team if they opt for the Portuguese coach.

"In terms of Alves, I think that's potentially a move too soon for him," Gareth said.

"I can see why the club want to promote from within, but what he would need is some additional help.

"There are no other coaches within the club other than a goalkeeping coach, who was also doing set-pieces last season.

"Alves may be the favourite and the club may like to develop from within, but I think he would need some additional help.

"Recently there's been talk of Jack Wilshere, and that would have been really exciting, but I'm guessing that's off the table potentially.

"With Alves, it would be more of the same.

"He fits in with the club's outlook on how they want to play, but he will need some more staff in the backroom team as they seem to be constantly promoting coaches from within but not replacing them."

Joao Alves appointment would follow recent Notts County trend

Alves has risen through the coaching ranks at Meadow Lane in recent years, so he is clearly highly-rated by the Notts County hierarchy.

Since the sacking of Neal Ardley in 2021, the Reedtz brothers have brought in three managers with limited experience in Ian Burchnall, Luke Williams and Maynard, so the appointment of Alves would continue the trend of giving young coaches a chance.

It has been a strategy that has largely worked for the club, with Burchnall, Williams and Maynard all achieving varying levels of success, but Alves would certainly be a risky choice, and there is an argument to suggest that, given the quality of their squad, a slightly more experienced coach is needed to guide the Magpies to promotion next season.