Championship side Stoke City were looking to bring in a replacement for Steven Schumacher before the end of last season.
This is according to Alan Nixon, who believes that the Potters had a change of heart on the former Plymouth Argyle boss not that long after appointing him at the bet365 Stadium.
The club haven’t had a huge amount of stability in their managerial department since Michael O’Neill’s departure, which came during the early stages of the 2022/23 campaign.
Alex Neil was appointed as his replacement, and although Stoke enjoyed some bright moments under the Scotsman, his spell in Staffordshire turned out to be a failure.
Schumacher was appointed as his successor – and he looked to be a promising appointment after his promotion with Plymouth Argyle.
Not only had he played a big part under Ryan Lowe at Plymouth, but he also took on the top job himself and won the League One title at the end of the 2022/23 season with 101 points.
At the time of his departure from Home Park, he had given the Pilgrims a real chance of staying up, and this move from Devon was seen as a real risk by some people. And it turned out to be the wrong move for him in the end.
He joined Stoke in December last year and endured a mixed start to his time at the club, but he was able to keep the Potters afloat in the Championship.
During the early stages of this term, Stoke had won two of their opening five league games and secured a place in the third round of the EFL Cup following an excellent 5-0 win at Middlesbrough.
They hadn’t made the best start in the league, but few people were expecting his sacking at the start of last week.
Stoke City revelation emerges involving Steven Schumacher
According to Nixon, Stoke were considering replacing Schumacher before the end of the 2023/24 campaign and had even “sounded out” a couple of managers before the start of the summer window.
But with those two bosses rejecting the Potters’ advances, Schumacher survived.
It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has been sacked so early on in the season though, considering what Nixon has now reported.
The same journalist revealed that Lee Carsley was in the frame to become the Potters’ boss during the latter stages of last year, but lost out to Schumacher in the end.
Carsley, who is now in caretaker charge of England, may have lasted longer at the bet365 Stadium.
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