Derby manager Gary Rowett has signed a new contract with the club to end any uncertainty regarding his future.
The 43-year-old has been heavily linked with the vacant managerial position at Stoke after the Premier League strugglers sacked Mark Hughes on Saturday shortly after their humiliating FA Cup defeat at Coventry.
Current Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill is also being mentioned as somebody the Potters might turn to, though it was felt that Rowett was ahead of him in the pecking order.
However, the Rams announced on Tuesday that Rowett has put pen to paper on a new three-and-a-half-year deal at Pride Park, just 10 months after he was appointed by the Sky Bet Championship club.
Rowett took over at Derby in March following the sacking of Steve McClaren, signing a deal until the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
This season he has led the Rams to second in the Championship on the back of 11 victories in the last 16 league matches.
