Stoke City have parted company with boss Tony Pulis by mutual consent.

The Welshman had been at the Britannia Stadium for seven years and brought stability to the club from the Potteries. Last season though was the 55 year-olds toughest campaign in the top flight.

Struggle

Stoke endured a terrible drop in form towards the end of the season.

The Potters did just enough to pull away from the Premier League drop zone, but the teams’ poor performance meant that Pulis has left the club.

Candidates

There are a number of bosses being linked with the vacant position. The current favourite is former-Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo, who was slightly unlucky to get the sack from the Blues last year. The Italian is highly-rated after guiding the Blues to Champions League glory.

Di Matteo is currently also an outsider for the vacant Everton job. Former-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is also believed to be a frontrunner for the Stoke job, with the Spaniard looking to stay in the Premier League.

Experienced Premier League boss Martin O’Neill seems to be favoured by the Potters fans and is currently out of work. The Ulsterman has been out of work since leaving Sunderland in March, with the Black Cats struggling in the Premier League.

Former-Manchester City and Blackburn boss Mark Hughes is also a contender for the position and is without a job. However, the former-Wales boss seems a very unpopular choice with the Stoke fans.

Big

The next boss is a big decision for the Stoke hierarchy to make. Tony Pulis had brought top-flight stability to the club from the Potteries. Stoke’s whole infrastructure has been developed in the last few years by Pulis on the field and off-the field by chairman Peter Coates.

Stoke need to be careful that they do not select a boss that ends up ruining all that hard work by getting the club relegated.

Who will be the next Stoke City boss?