Stoke City need to make some smart transfer and contract decisions in the coming months to help them push up the table next season under Steven Schumacher. The Potters are set to take on their first summer transfer window under former Plymouth boss Schumacher, and have already been active in the market with goalkeeper Viktor Johansson and centre-back Ben Gibson arriving from Rotherham United and Norwich City respectively. Schumacher has been decisive in his contract decisions too, with Tyrese Campbell allowed to leave after eight years with the club, despite a strong end to the campaign, and Ciaran Clark, Wesley, Tom Edwards and D’Margio Wright-Phillips all set to depart upon the expiry of their contracts. A one-year extension was triggered on Jordan Thompson’s existing contract,
While Frank Fielding and Enda Stevens have already signed new 12-month contracts, Schumacher still has a lot of work to do in the transfer market this summer. With that in mind, here are three important issues that we believe the Potters should solve before the summer window closes at the end of August.
A choice must be taken about Mmaee. Ryan Mmaee, the Belgian-born Moroccan international who joined Stoke from Hungarian champions Ferencvaros on a three-year agreement for an original reported sum of roughly £1.75 million, has had a difficult start.
Mmaee had a difficult start in English football under then-boss Alex Neil, but he eventually found some form.
and was Schumacher’s favored forward option when he first took over as coach, starting all six games. The 26-year-old’s fortunes began to deteriorate behind the scenes after the turn of the year, when he reportedly saw a late January move to an unnamed Turkish club fall through after deciding to stay at Stoke, and was banished to train with the U21 squad by Schumacher at the start of February due to poor training discipline.
He returned to the first-team fold in mid-March, but was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the season after picking up another hamstring injury. He spent his debut Potters campaign on the treatment table and was little missed by his teammates as they
In his absence, he scored eight goals during the last three games of the season. Mmaee is certainly a gifted striker with a strong goal record at past clubs, but he has only shown glimpses of that ability in a Stoke shirt and may not be the right fit for English football or Schumacher’s style of play.
Ahead of the summer, it appears unlikely that fellow strikers Niall Ennis, Nathan Lowe, and Emre Tezgel will leave the club permanently, therefore he is the most likely to leave to free up cash for a new forward, which Stoke will definitely seek following Tyrese Campbell’s departure.
Schumacher must make a firm choice soon on whether he wants to keep the Moroccan at the club ahead of next season and rely on him to be his primary man up front, or just cut connections and allow him leave this summer for a figure comparable to what Stoke spent last year.
Tezgel and Lowe could go on loan. Stoke have two 18-year-old forwards in their ranks, Emre Tezgel and Nathan Lowe, who will need to make decisions about their immediate futures this summer.
Tezgel, born in Burton, had long been seen as the answer to Stoke City’s striking issues over the last few years, having been productive at youth level and becoming the youngest player to ever play for Stoke in January.
In 2022, he came in as a late substitute in an FA Cup win over Leyton Orient. After a stop-start season with injuries in 2022/23, he returned to appear for the Potters’ minor sides last season before going out on loan to MK Dons in the January transfer window to assist them reach the League Two play-offs.
He made just five league starts in 17 Dons games, although he scored three goals and assisted three times under Mike Williamson, a respectable result given his age, previous injury difficulties, and lack of minutes.
Lowe, who has been Tezgel’s strike partner and close friend during their time together at the Potters’ academy, was promoted to the first team last season under Alex Neil after two appearances in 2022/23.
And an excellent preseason. He scored a late winner at Bristol City in October to make his Championship debut, and he appeared in 15 games under both Neil and Schumacher, but he looked inexperienced in the second tier and will most likely need a loan move to find his feet at senior level.
Both players are expected to compete for a spot in Schumacher’s team for the upcoming season, but only one will almost certainly be retained, with the other going on loan.
The Stoke manager could have a decision to make about who stays and who goes, and his hand may be pressed by either Tezgel or Lowe having a great pre-season, so it is a situation to keep an eye on.
This summer.
Finding a new left-back is a priority. Stoke recruited 33-year-old left-back Enda Stevens on a free transfer last summer after his contract with Sheffield United expired, but the Republic of Ireland international spent much of the season on the treatment table, appearing only 21 times in the Championship.
Stevens impressed when he played, especially near the end of the season when he helped the Potters avoid relegation, but his absence revealed a serious issue with depth in his position.
Central midfielder Jordan Thompson, utility man Lynden Gooch, and on-loan right-back Ki Jana Hoever all filled in for Stevens, but Schumacher needs to find a new left-back this summer to solve their problems for good.
The Potters have already been linked with left-back options in out-of-contract Norwich player Sam McCallum and Plymouth’s Mickel Miller, so it is clear that this is a priority for the club ahead of next season, but it must be resolved as soon as possible so that it does not become an even bigger issue as the summer progresses.
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