"Careful what you wish for" - Pundit warns Stoke City as Norwich City man eyed up to replace Steven Schumacher | OneFootball

Stoke City have reportedly been given permission to speak to Norwich City coach Narcis Pelach over their vacant managerial position.

Pundit Carlton Palmer believes it would be a gamble for Stoke City to appoint Norwich City first-team coach Narcis Pelach as their new manager.

Stoke are on the hunt for a new manager following the shock sacking of Steven Schumacher on Monday morning, just five games into the season.

Schumacher had been in charge at the bet365 Stadium since December, and he kept the Potters in the Championship last season, ending the campaign well with five victories in a row, but the board have decided to act after an inconsistent start to the new campaign.

The 1-0 defeat to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday proved to be Schumacher's last game as Stoke boss, and he leaves the club sitting 13th in the table, just three points from the play-off places.

According to journalist John Percy, the Potters have been given permission by Norwich to speak to Pelach over their vacant managerial position, and if talks are successful, he is expected to bring goalkeeping coach Paul Clements with him.

Pelach made the move to Carrow Road last summer after three years on the coaching staff at Huddersfield Town, where he had two spells as caretaker manager, while he has also had stints in charge of Figueres and Peralda and as an assistant at Girona.

However, it seems that Pelach is not the only name in the frame for the Stoke job, with Blackburn Rovers manager John Eustace and Stockport County boss Dave Challinor also said to be under consideration.

Carlton Palmer issues Narcis Pelach warning to Stoke City

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said that it would be a risk for Stoke to appoint Pelach given his lack of managerial experience, and he revealed that he believes the Potters have made a big mistake in sacking Schumacher.

"Rumours are coming out that Norwich have given Stoke permission to speak to first team coach Narcis Pelach," Palmer said.

"It's an interesting one and I don't get it.

"You sack somebody like Schumacher after five games, and then you're going to put in charge somebody who is relatively unknown, even though Pelach has a lot of admirers.

"He's been granted permission to speak, and it's thought that if he's successful, he will take Paul Clements, the goalkeeping coach, with him.

"Of course, you always take members of your staff that you know.

"Pelach previously worked at Huddersfield with Carlos Corberan, he had a stint as an interim manager at Huddersfield, but he headed to Norwich last summer to take up a coaching role.

"I don't know enough about him to know whether this is a good move or bad move, but there must be something going on with Stoke where they know something about Pelach and why they've sacked Schumacher.

"Honestly, I believe that if they stuck with Schumacher, they would have had enormous success.

"Always be careful what you wish for.

"We'll have to wait and see, I can't really comment on that, it's a strange one, it's a curveball to me, but who knows.

"I'm not saying assistants can't go on to manage, we've seen an assistant (Enzo Maresca) go on to a magnificent job at Leicester and he ended up with the Chelsea job.

"A lot of assistants could be number ones, that is for sure.

"But we'll have to wait and see how this goes, it's clear that they've done their homework because they've moved very, very quickly in getting rid of Schumacher, so it's obviously been talked about, and then they've contacted Norwich and they've granted permission.

"It's way down the line for Pelach, and I suppose if personal terms are agreed, then he'll be the new manager of Stoke.

"We'll have to see how that works out."

Stoke City may live to regret Steven Schumacher sacking

While there are many examples of assistants that have successfully made the step up to management, it is difficult to disagree with Palmer that appointing Pelach would be a big risk for Stoke.

Pelach has plenty of Championship coaching experience, and he will no doubt have learned a lot from working under managers like Carlos Corberan, Neil Warnock and David Wagner, but as has been proven over the years, it is a tough job at the bet365 Stadium, and there are question marks over whether the 36-year-old is ready for the challenge.

After years of underachievement for the Potters, it seemed like Schumacher was starting to turn the club's fortunes around, and although it has been an inconsistent start to the new season, his sacking has come as a huge shock.

As Palmer says, it felt like Stoke were heading in a positive direction under Schumacher, but after making the controversial decision to dismiss him, the board are now under pressure to find the right replacement.