Leyton Orient's Richie Wellens joins duo on Stockport County radar to replace Challinor | OneFootball

Richie Wellens is among the candidates to replace Dave Challinor as Stockport County boss

Stockport County are on the hunt for a new boss, having parted company with Dave Challinor via mutual consent on Monday.

Challinor took charge of County in November 2021, and led them to the National League title in his first season in charge at Edgeley Park, before clinching a further promotion to League One two years later.

The 50-year-old led the Greater Manchester club to back-to-back third-place finishes in the third tier, which saw them competing in the play-offs.

Unfortunately for Challinor, his last game in charge of Stockport saw the Hatters lose 4-1 to Bolton Wanderers in the League One play-off final last Bank Holiday Monday.

Richie Wellens alongside fellow League One boss in the frame to replace Dave Challinor at Stockport County

Challinor has positively transformed Stockport's image from a club who were languishing in the National League to an outfit that had a serious chance of winning promotion to the Championship.

However, the Hatters' heavy defeat to Bolton at Wembley Stadium proved that the former Hartlepool United boss had taken the Edgeley Park club as far as he could.

Meanwhile, as per Dom Howson on X, Challinor could join Blackburn Rovers, who are searching for a new manager following Michael O'Neill's exit.

O'Neill joined Blackburn on a short-term deal in February which saw him serve as Rovers boss alongside his international duties with Northern Ireland.

The 53-year-old decided to remain in his international role, rather than sealing a permanent move to Ewood Park.

But while Challinor could soon land a new job, Stockport must work hard to find an adequate replacement for the man who led them to two promotions.

According to Sky Sports' Peter Smith on X, Jim McNulty is in the frame to become County's next boss, having led Rochdale to promotion from the National League.

Dale lost out to York City in a dramatic race for the fifth-tier title and automatic promotion, but sealed their EFL return via the play-offs.

Smith's post added that Leyton Orient’s Richie Wellens and Stevenage’s Alex Revell are also being considered by County as potential Challinor replacements.

Wellens guided Orient to the League One play-off final in 2026, but they had to settle for the significantly more modest prize of final-day survival last month.

Meanwhile, Revell steered Stevenage to a top-six finish, but they were, somewhat ironically, beaten 3-0 on aggregate by Challinor's Stockport in the play-offs.

Richie Wellens could decide this summer is the right time to leave Leyton Orient amid Stockport interest

McNulty and Revell could both prove to be inspired managerial appointments for County this summer, should the Greater Manchester club opt for their services.

But, perhaps, Wellens could be more keen on the vacancy than either the Rochdale or Stevenage boss, because Orient's progress under his stewardship has stalled.

Following their League One survival effort, Wellens hit out at his Orient players, which suggests that he is no longer as happy in East London as he used to be.

The fact that the O's finished 20th in the third tier just one year on from reaching the play-off final proves that the 46-year-old is not getting the best out of his squad anymore.

However, Wellens is still a talented manager who won the League Two title with the O's in 2023, and may feel as though he can add another promotion to his CV by joining Stockport.