Stoke City close to appointing Plymouth’s Steven Schumacher as new manager

Stoke City are close to appointing Plymouth Argyle’s Steven Schumacher as their new manager.

Schumacher is in advanced talks with Stoke and is set to be confirmed as Alex Neil’s successor this week following discussions over the past 48 hours, with a compensation package broadly agreed.

The 39-year-old has established a fine reputation in his first permanent managerial post, leading Argyle to the League One title last season.

Schumacher is renowned as a progressive coach, completing his Pro License last June, while Plymouth’s title triumph last season was built on the foundations of an outstanding home record, winning 20 of their 23 matches and losing just two.

In contrast, Neil’s home record at Stoke was dreadful, losing 16 of his 30 league matches, and improving results in front of the club’s supporters is regarded as crucial by the Stoke board.

Stoke have considered a number of other candidates in a lengthy process, including former player John Eustace, ex-Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom and Blackburn’s Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Michael Beale, who was announced as the new manager of Championship rivals Sunderland on Monday, is understood to have held initial talks last week. Dean Holden, the assistant to former Stoke manager Michael O’Neill, was also interviewed.

Yet Schumacher, a former Everton trainee who was once part of the club’s youth team which included Wayne Rooney, has emerged as the preferred choice to take charge at the bet365 Stadium.

Stoke face Millwall at home this weekend and want Schumacher to be officially installed in the next few days.

If, as expected, Schumacher departs Plymouth, he will leave after two years in charge since succeeding Ryan Lowe, who left for Preston.

During that time he has won more than half of his league games with 51 victories and 18 draws.

Neil was dismissed on December 10 after the home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday.

Stoke are currently 20th in the Championship table, just two points adrift of the relegation zone.