News from the bet365 Stadium as Stoke City struggle to discover a recipe to eventually pull in the right way.
The summer of 2023 felt like a one-time squad-building transfer window, with 19 new newcomers sworn in at Stoke City.
It is unlikely that the summer of 2024 will affect that many people, but it will be interesting to see how close it comes given how many members of the squad are uncertain about their futures. That includes not only whether a player will find form at the bet365 Stadium, but also 11 players who will be forced to make a decision as their existing contracts expire.
There are five loan players for starters, including two brought in by head coach Steven Schumacher in January. Daniel Iversen and Luke Cundle are under contract with their parent clubs until 2025 and 2026, respectively, but they have struggled to find game time, and it would not be surprising if they were available again at the end of the season.
Sead Haksabanovic is contracted with Celtic until 2027, but has fallen out of favour there. The 24-year-old has only started eight league games for Stoke so far, and he needs to prove what he can.
Ki-Jana Hoever, 22, has spent the last year at Stoke and was being observed by Wolves loan manager Steve Davis during Saturday’s 5-0 loss to Leicester when he hobbled out in the dying moments.
Tyrese Campbell and Jordan Thompson, who also started against Leicester, are in the final few months of their contracts. Campbell, 24, has had a stop-start season and has been asked to lead the line in the previous two weeks by Schumacher. He has been connected with Rangers, who attempted to sign him in 2019 before signing his current contract. Thompson came four years ago and has been establishing his claim as a left-back this winter.
To keep Wesley, Enda Stevens, and Ciaran Clark at Stoke, their fortunes must improve dramatically. All three veterans arrived on short-term contracts and have been unable to hang onto a shirt. In Stevens’ instance, it could have been largely due to injury, although he has only made 12 league starts.
Blondy Nna Noukeu, the 22-year-old backup goalkeeper, will also be a free agent this summer. He moved to Stoke from Royal Excel Mouscron in 2019, but has yet to make an impact.
All told, Stoke now have two goalkeepers under contract beyond this season, as well as five defenders, six midfielders, and eight strikers. There will be some rebalancing. Another eight players will be in the final years of their contracts next season, including first-teamers Josh Laurent, Lewis Baker, Lynden Gooch, Daniel Johnson, Michael Rose, and Jack Bonham.
However, there is a lot of work to be done before Stoke can worry about that, beginning with ensuring their place in the Championship when 2024/25 season begins.
Current Stoke City squad
Goalkeepers: Daniel Iversen, Jack Bonham, Blondy Nna Noukeu, Frank Fielding, and Scott.
DEFENDERS: Lynden Gooch, Ki-Jana Hoever, Junior Tchamadeu, Luke McNally, Michael Rose, Enda Stevens, Ben Wilmot, Liam McCarron, and Ciaran Clark
Midfielders: Lewis Baker, Wouter Burger, Daniel Johnson, Josh Laurent, Ben Pearson, Jordan Thompson, Luke Cundle, and Sol Sidibe.
Forwards: Tyrese Campbell, Andre Vidigal, Bae Junho, Sead Haksabanovic, Mehdi Leris, Ryan Mmaee, Wesley, Niall Ennis, Million Manhoef, Nathan Lowe, Nikola Jojic.
Who should Stoke keep from the players nearing the end of their contracts? Share your thoughts in the comments area.
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