Eight Stoke City players will be at a contract crossroads next summer, with five just on loan, leaving plenty of room for Mark Robins and a new head of recruitment.
Enda Stevens, Lewis Baker, and Michael Rose, three players who have played prominently under new manager Robins, are in the final year of their current contracts, as are Lynden Gooch, who is recovering from a calf injury; midfielder Jordan Thompson; youth graduate striker Emre Tezgel; and backup keepers Frank Fielding and Jack Bonham.
Stevens, a 34-year-old left back, signed a 12-month deal at the end of last season and has been an underappreciated influence when healthy since coming as a free agency from Sheffield United in summer 2023. The difficulty has been his availability, but he has recovered from a calf injury sustained during the preseason and is being utilised with caution.
Thompson, a 28-year-old central midfielder, is Stoke’s longest-serving first-team player after signing from Blackpool in early 2020. He has occasionally played left back and holding midfield.
He missed much of the winter trying to settle a nagging groin condition, eventually undergoing a hernia procedure in January. Centre-back Rose, 28, has returned to the starting lineup under Robins, who signed him for Coventry. He has made frequent appearances after signing as a free agent in the summer of 2023.
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