The identities of the transfer targets Stoke City is still in negotiations with to complement Ben Gibson and Viktor Johansson will probably surprise you.
In addition to appointing Chris Cohen of Lincoln as the new assistant head coach and Lee Darnbrough of Hull as director of recruitment, Stoke moved fast to bring in their first two summer additions.
There has been a lot of conjecture on the potential next in line, but most, if not all, of the linkages that have been made public thus far are empty. However, rumours of interest in Johansson and Gibson surfaced before to their signing, and it’s always exciting to speculate about where Jon Walters and Steven Schumacher may play next in the summer.
Certain reports have persisted for a while, such as the desire to sign Norwich left-back Sam McCallum, who is departing at the conclusion of his contract. After signing Enda Stevens to a long-term contract, he is a free agent in a position where Stoke can add players. However, as of yet, there have been no offers, let alone any rejections or medical examinations. Who knows what will transpire in the upcoming months, though?
Agents knew Darnbrough to be a stickler for deals that were leaked, and they shared a tight relationship with Tan Kesler, Hull’s powerful vice-chairman. If Stoke employed the same strategy, it would not be shocking.
It is known that Stoke intends to reduce the number of senior players in their squad to approximately 22 in order to create room for up-and-coming players like Sol Sidibe, Jaden Dixon, Freddie Anderson, and Emre Tezgel. These players should be gaining more experience and moving up to the first team during the course of the next 12 to 18 months.
Therefore, depending on how much they want to change things around, exits probably need to be present. For example, it is improbable that they will wish to play with seven central midfielders all season.
Tyrese Campbell is leaving, therefore there’s still a major hole at center-forward where Tezgel and Nathan Lowe are emerging but Niall Ennis and Ryan Mmaee couldn’t establish themselves as regular starters last season.
There are cases to be proven or choices to be made regarding other players who, for whatever reason, were unable to receive the minutes they desired. These players include Andre Vidigal, who struggled to sustain his promising early-season scoring form after joining the team last summer, and Liam McCarron, who was not listed in the squad last season.
