Stoke have sacked Narcís Pelach after only 19 games as head coach, the Championship club have announced.

Pelach, who was appointed in September at the age of 36 after replacing Steven Schumacher, won just three of the 18 league games for which he was in charge and departs after a 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at home against Leeds which left Stoke sitting in 19th place in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone.

The sporting director, Jonathan Walters, told the club’s official website: “Narcís is a talented coach with huge potential, he works relentlessly hard and I have no doubt that he will go on to achieve success in the future.

“However, with the way results and performances have been in recent weeks, we have to accept with hindsight that he has proved not to be the right fit for this club at this time. I take full responsibility for that and I’m absolutely determined that we will now make the right choice to take us forward. Every decision we make is driven by our love of Stoke City and absolute determination to bring success to the club.”

The Potters, who have lost five of their last six league games and drawn the other, are yet to announce the makeup of their coaching team for Sunday’s game against fourth-placed Sunderland.