Derby County’s Gary Rowett has just been handed over the managerial position at Stoke City following the latter’s relegation from the Premier League. The 44-year-old signed a three-year contract at the bet365 after spending just one season with the Rams.
Rowett’s work deserves a lot of credit as he pushed the Derby team into the playoffs through some last minute adjustments. Fulham were given a run for their money but unfortunately, the Pride Park-based outfit could not overcome the first stage of the playoffs.
The Lillywhites overcame Derby’s 1-0 goal advantage from the first leg by scoring twice at Craven Cottage on the 15th of May to progress to the Finals. Rowett could not hold off the superior offensive abilities of Fulham to manage a comeback.
However, as evident from his recent appointment as Stoke City boss, his work has caught the eyes of plenty. Despite having a lesser stacked talent pool than most of the top six clubs, he managed to put up a real fight for promotion after their 10th place finish in the 2016/17 season.
His previous stints with Birmingham City and Burton Albion also earned him rave reviews making both of them promotion contenders instead of relegation survivalists. Rowett took the Birmingham squad from the 21st spot of the Championship to the 10th place within one season and to the 7th in the next.
He helped Burton earn promotion to the League One even though he did not exactly stick around to finish the job. Rowett’s rise in the managerial game has been rewarding and some of it is expected to remain on the newly relegated Stoke.
However, his departure will obviously have to be answered with a replacement at Derby. The team needs to stay in the promotion fight rather than ending up as a mid-table side next term. Here are a few candidates to take over the 44-year-old’s spot at Pride Park.
Carlos Carvalhal
The former Swansea City boss, unfortunately, could not pull off a miraculous save despite having a positive impact early on. Carvalhal dug the team out of the relegation scraps by beating out some of the Premier League big guns but failed to upstage Southampton in the deciding match last month.
Thomas Christiansen
Leeds United could be struck off as a disappointment in his managerial career but let us not forget the good parts of it. With a relatively healthy squad, he led the Whites to the playoff spots early in the campaign. Maybe he can replicate the same with a seed of investment at Derby.
Read More: Fulham Considered As Favourites To Sign Derby County’s Top Scorer: Should They Make A Move For Him?
Mick McCarthy
After spending 6 seasons with Ipswich Town, the 59-year-old brought the team out of the bottom three to a more secure place. He was axed due to undisclosed reasons a few months back and is in the market.
