Cardiff City, Steven Schumacher news may draw Stoke City concern: View | OneFootball

Former Stoke City head coach Steven Schumacher has been linked with the vacant managerial position at Cardiff City.

Stoke City made the controversial decision to sack head coach Steven Schumacher earlier this month.

Schumacher made the move from Plymouth Argyle to take over at the bet365 Stadium last season and he successfully kept Stoke in the division after a strong end to the campaign.

The 40-year-old was allowed to rebuild his squad this summer, bringing in 10 new signings, including the likes of Viktor Johansson, Ben Gibson, Lewis Koumas, and Tom Cannon but just five games into the season, the board decided to make a change.

Schumacher was replaced by Norwich City first-team coach Narcis Pelach but the Spaniard's reign got off to a poor start as the Potters were beaten 3-1 at home by Hull City on Friday night in his first game in charge.

It is just over a week since Schumacher's shock departure from Stoke was announced but he could be set to make a quick return to management, with reports emerging in recent days linking him with the vacant managerial position at Cardiff City.

Steven Schumacher interested in Cardiff City job

Cardiff are currently without a manager after they sacked Erol Bulut on Sunday following their disappointing start to the season.

The Bluebirds are bottom of the Championship table with just one point from their opening six games, and they have only scored one league goal so far this campaign, so it will be a tough task for Bulut's successor to turn their fortunes around.

Former Bradford City manager Mark Hughes and KV Kortrijk head coach Freyr Alexandersson have both been ruled out of contention, but Cardiff are said to be keen on Oxford United boss Des Buckingham.

It has also been claimed that Schumacher and ex-Wales manager Rob Page are interested in the vacancy at the Cardiff City Stadium but it remains to be seen whether they are on the club's list of targets.

Even if Schumacher does not make the move to South Wales, the fact he is reportedly eyeing the Bluebirds job suggests he is looking to make a swift return to management and that may be concerning for the Stoke hierarchy.

After years of underachievement under the likes of Gary Rowett, Nathan Jones, Michael O'Neill, and Alex Neil, it seemed that Schumacher had finally got Stoke heading in the right direction, and he was popular with many supporters, so it is fair to say the news of his sacking last week came as a surprise to many.

Journalist Alan Nixon claims that the Potters had considered replacing Schumacher before the end of last season, with two managers sounded out about taking over from the 40-year-old, but that makes the decision to allow him to continue into the new campaign even more baffling and suggests a lack of strategy from the board.

While the inconsistency that has plagued Stoke in recent years still remained, Schumacher was doing a good job at the bet365 Stadium, and his side were just three points from the play-offs at the time of his departure.

Taking into account the outstanding work he did previously at Plymouth, Schumacher's stock remains high despite his dismissal, so the Potters' hierarchy would have expected him to attract interest from Championship clubs, but they may not have anticipated that he could return to management so soon.

With Pelach's tenure getting off to a poor start and question marks still lingering over the decision to part company with Schumacher, the timing could not be worse for Stoke if he does land the Cardiff job.

Potters supporters were not afraid to make their feelings clear after the final whistle against Hull on Friday night, highlighting the clear discontent among some sections of the fan base at Schumacher's exit, and should he go on to have success with another Championship club, the board could look incredibly foolish for not giving him more time.

Addressing the decision to replace Schumacher with Pelach, Stoke sporting director Jon Walters said that his role was not to "sit on the fence and wait for things to peter out" and insisted that "I fully believe in what I've done" but he did admit that making such a bold call "brings pressure".

Of course, it is too early to draw any conclusions on Pelach and the 36-year-old is an incredibly highly-rated coach but the scrutiny on Walters will only increase if he fails to deliver and Schumacher thrives elsewhere.

Pelach may prove to be the man to take the Potters to the next level, but Schumacher's sacking does feel like an unnecessary gamble from the board, and his impressive track record in management suggests he will go on to achieve good things with his next club.