Stoke City and Stuart Webber are in talks for Webber to take over as technical director.
In an attempt to find a replacement for Ricky Martin as technical director, Stoke City has spoken with Stuart Webber.
Stoke City targeting key appointment
The Potters are going through a difficult moment since, since their Premier League relegation in 2018, they have continuously underperformed and have remarkably failed to place in the top half of the standings.
Stoke hasn’t found the right recipe despite switching managers, and the club’s hiring practices are another area that has drawn criticism.
Martin joined prior to the January 2023 transfer window, but Stoke hasn’t been able to draw in the appropriate players.
And the last summer transfer window saw more of the same, with the Bet365 Stadium producing few winners despite a high player turnover rate. Martin was fired by the team last month as a result.
Stuart Webber in talks with Stoke City
It’s now time to select his replacement, and the BBC has learned that the Potters are interested in Webber. He would have a strong resume from his time spent working with Norwich.
“Stoke have held talks with former Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber as they look to replace Ricky Martin. Joint-Chairman John Coates has been speaking to a number of candidates, with Webber a contender to take the job.
“Webber is available after leaving Norwich in November, although he has served a 12-month notice period which expires this month. Webber, Huddersfield’s former head of football operations, oversaw two Championship title-winning campaigns at Carrow Road but two awful seasons in the Premier League saw the Canaries finish bottom.”
As outlined above, Webber was hugely influential as Norwich won two promotions from the Championship under Daniel Farke.
He played an important role in helping build a successful side at this level, with Teemu Pukki and Emi Buendia two of the standout additions.
However, there was criticism of Webber for how the club failed in the Premier League, as they were twice relegated without putting up much of a fight.
Stoke City need a major rebuild
It feels like Stoke are once again in a position where they need to start fresh, and a key part of that is bringing in a technical director who will make big decisions.
Whilst Webber struggled at times with the Canaries, his overall track record was impressive, and he also worked with Huddersfield during a period where they were successful.
In Stoke’s current position, they need to take it one step at a time, and it’s now about trying to stay in the Championship this season, and then becoming a force at this level, and Webber could help them do that.
| Championship Table (As it stands March 14th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 17 | Plymouth Argyle | 37 | -7 | 41 |
| 18 | Blackburn Rovers | 37 | -13 | 41 |
| 19 | Stoke City | 37 | -15 | 41 |
| 20 | QPR | 37 | -14 | 39 |
| 21 | Birmingham City | 37 | -16 | 39 |
| 22 | Huddersfield Town | 37 | -19 | 38 |
| 23 | Sheffield Wednesday | 37 | -25 | 38 |
| 24 | Rotherham United | 37 | -47 | 19 |
So, he would be a good appointment if they could pull it off, and it will be interesting to see how this develops over the coming weeks and months.
Schumacher’s side are back in action this weekend at home to Webber’s old club Norwich.
