Journalist Alan Nixon has claimed that Stoke City are interested in hiring a manager who is currently employed by another club.

The Potters are on the lookout for a new manager after parting company with Nathan Jones on Friday afternoon, with the club sitting 23rd in the Sky Bet Championship table after 14 games.

The Welshman, who arrived at the bet365 Stadium from Luton Town last season, won only six out of 38 games in charge, and has now been relieved of his duties.

Plenty of names were linked with the managerial role at Stoke whilst Jones was still in charge, with Chris Hughton, David Moyes and Tony Pulis all being mentioned by various reports in the media.

But Nixon has now claimed that Stoke have a manager on their shortlist who is already in work, amid recent reports also linking Charlton boss Lee Bowyer with the role.

Stoke will be hoping to make a swift appointment as they prepare to take on league leaders West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.

The Potters currently sit four points adrift of safety in the second tier, and have won only two games thus far this term.

The Verdict

This is a really interesting update from Nixon, and it shows that Stoke are thinking about their next manager quite carefully.

Due to the timing of Jones' sacking, that would suggest an appointment is somewhat close, so it's interesting if they have managed to lure a manager away from another club.

You do feel sorry for Jones in some respect - he's a passionate manager who clearly cared about the club, but he had more than enough chances to impress and pick up results whilst in charge.