Alex Neil wanted by Stoke City: Everything Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has previously said about Neil’s rolling contract and Championship plans

Neil has been given permission to speak to the Potters about the vacancy and is the clear favorite with bookmakers to take over the bet365 stadium.

Sunderland are preparing to face Neil’s former club Norwich City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, but Neil’s Friday press conference has been pushed back to 2pm when it was originally scheduled for 9am at the Academy of Light.

Reporters were told Neil was held up in a meeting prior to the squad’s training session that morning.

The athlete has since claimed there are growing concerns at Wearside that Neil is likely to leave and fill the vacancy at Stoke.

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has also reported that Neil has been given permission to speak with the Potters while Sunderland hope they can keep the Scot.

Neil, who led Sunderland to the Championship with a play-off final win over Wycombe Wanderers in May, signed a 12-month contract when he took charge at Sunderland in February and the issue has come under the spotlight with fans, who feared he might be about to depart.

Back in May after winning the League One play-off final, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said he had had positive discussions with Neil about Sunderland’s first season back in the Championship.

In a lengthy interview with the Echo, Speakman detailed the club’s plans while addressing concerns about Neil’s ongoing contract.

“We have a lot of clarity about who we are, how we operate and what the strategy is,” Speakman said.

“Obviously it’s a big step up in the championship because it’s a completely different unit.

“Alex made it in the championship and he understands what the requirements are and it’s about how we make the transition.

“I think we really agree on how we’re going to do this.

“I spent all Sunday night talking to Alex about how we do this, all Monday morning about it.

“We see a lot very, very similarly.

“Then it’s just a matter of implementation. I think it’s natural that every head coach [would want clarity].

“We didn’t have a lot of discussions about the Championship because we had to respect the fact that we have incredibly tough games against Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off semi-finals and then again against Wycombe in the final.

“My job is to plan for the future and his job is to try and win those games. There’s a balance here between the head coach executing what we’re trying to do and putting the team in the best position, which he’s done incredibly well, and then for people like me, Stuart [Harvey]steve [Davision] to position ourselves so that we don’t start from scratch, which we don’t do.

“That is effective organization.

“We went through a very rigorous hiring process because we wanted to find the right person for the job.

“Alex has proven he’s the man.”

Speakman said in May the situation was “always being reviewed,” but indicated he didn’t expect the two parties to agree on a new long-term agreement anytime soon.

He insisted that everyone was happy with the current arrangement.

“I absolutely understand the mood of the question,” Speakman said.

“Take Alex out of the equation for a second and talk about the principle. You see people coming up all the time and saying it’s a six-year deal or a four-year deal or whatever. But there’s a three-month payout… so it’s a three-month contract!

“You can sell an arrangement however you want. Importantly, everyone involved is happy with the agreement and Alex is tied to an ongoing 12-month contract.

“Alex has been an incredible part of our journey and he deserves every award he gets.

“It’s a fundamental part of what we do. Everyone is happy at the moment [with the contract].

“At the moment all systems are future-proof. We knew we would get a championship manager in February because we wanted to be ready for that moment.”

Asked if he would seek any assurances before joining the new campaign, head coach Neil said: “It was easy for me to come here because I felt I could do the job with the squad.

“I walked through the door and it was like, ‘Here’s the squad, win games’. I said “No problem”. If you transfer windows up when you level up, it’s quite different.

“There has to be work, investment and different facets that can make you competitive.

“When you do a job you want the tools and I’m no different.

“That’s our turn.”

Sunderland host Norwich City in a lunchtime (12.30pm) kick-off at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, with the Black Cats looking to build on their impressive start to the season, including a win over Stoke City last weekend.