Norwich City first-team coach Narcis Pelach is the front-runner to take the Stoke City head-coach job after Steven Schumacher was sacked on Monday morning.
Pelach has been a part of the Canaries’ backroom since May 2023, as he left Huddersfield Town and was appointed to work alongside David Wagner as the club changed up their coaching staff ahead of the new season.
Another new change happened again this summer, with Nordsjaelland boss Johannes Hoff Thorup put in charge in May, and now Pelach looks set to leave to take a leading role of his own at the bet365 Stadium.
Norwich fan pundit reacts to Pelach being targeted by Stoke
The 36-year-old’s time as boss of Spanish lower-league side Figueres from 2016 to 2018 is the only experience he has had as a head-coach so far in his career, but he is well-versed in English football now, after being assistant for three years and interim boss twice at Huddersfield from 2020 to 2023, and first-team coach at Carrow Road for the last 16 months.
FLW’s Norwich City fan pundit, Zeke Downes, believes that Pelach is a well-rated young coach and is a well-liked figure at the club, but is unsure about his credentials to be a number one in the dugout at this stage in his career.
Downes said: “By all accounts, it sounds like Narcis Pelach is a very popular guy around the club.
“He’s done a lot of media stuff as well and we’ve seen him a lot in videos, and it looks like all the players like him as well.
“He’s obviously quite highly-rated.
“I don’t know about whether he’d be able to coach a Championship team, especially this early on because he has only just been in the coaching staff and not been a manager.
“I’m not sure whether he can make that step up. I don’t mind if he does leave because I’m not sure how much of a difference he would make.”
Stoke job may offer Pelach a route out of Norwich
Pelach has experienced a rapid rise from retiring in the Spanish lower leagues at 25-years-old to now being under consideration for a Championship job at 36, and his experiences and opportunities show just how highly-rated he is as a coach, but this would be a big jump to now become a leading man at a club with big aspirations.
Not to mention, the pressure will instantly be on after Stoke’s sacking of Schumacher sent shockwaves throughout English football, and the Potters seem to have identified the Spaniard very quickly after his departure.
| Steven Schumacher Stoke head-coach record | |
|---|---|
| Games | 32 |
| Wins | 13 |
| Draws | 6 |
| Losses | 13 |
| Points per game | 1.41 |
| Stats as per Transfermarkt | |
Pelach has previously spoken of his desire to become a head-coach, and this potential opportunity gives him the chance to begin to prove himself as the main man in the dugout, while also offering him a route out of Norwich where he may have seen his influence lessen since Hoff Thorup’s appointment.
He was initially appointed under Wagner, so Hoff Thorup has not picked him to be a first-team coach, and his departure may also work for the new Norwich boss as he can then bring in another coach that definitely suits his style, much like his assistant Glen Riddersholm.
