How much AI thinks Stoke City star Sorba Thomas is worth as AFC Bournemouth plot move | OneFootball

AI chatbot ChatGPT has shared its thoughts on how much it believes Stoke City winger Sorba Thomas is currently worth

AI chatbot ChatGPT has provided its thoughts on how much it believes Stoke City's star winger Sorba Thomas is currently worth, with rumours of a potential switch to Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth emerging as of late.

Stoke City are looking up the Championship table for once this season.

The Potters have been used to checking their shoulder ever since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, with last season being as close as they have come to facing the drop to League One since being in the second tier.

Now, they have seemed to have turned a corner and are instead rubbing their hands together at the prospect of a top-six finish.

Leading the charge has been 26-year-old Welsh international Sorba Thomas, who joined the Potters in the summer following his switch from Huddersfield Town, and with nine goals and six assists this campaign so far, no player has more goal contributions than him in the division.

Unfortunately for Stoke, this good form doesn't go without attention, and Premier League side Bournemouth have shortlisted the Welshman as a potential option to replace the outgoing Semenyo, though what sort of fee Stoke would request remains to be seen.

ChatGPT shares how much it believes Sorba Thomas is worth as Premier League interest emerges

Sitting just one point outside the top six after 26 games, Stoke have every chance of obtaining a play-off place come May. Though if they are to achieve that, keeping hold of Thomas will be absolutely pivotal to those efforts.

Stoke are likely to issue a 'hands off' warning to any side registering an interest in Thomas this January and beyond, though if a hefty fee is to arrive for the Welshman this January, they may have no other choice but to accept.

Under contract until the summer of 2028, having only signed in the summer, Stoke are under no obligation to part ways with Thomas lightly anytime soon, though AI chatbot ChatGPT has estimated what sort of fee it would take to prise him away from the Potteries.

ChatGPT said: "Given his status as one of the top goal contributors in the Championship, his age, long contract, and reported Premier League interest, a realistic valuation this window is around £12m. If Stoke are under no pressure to sell, a fee in the £10m–£15m range would be entirely reasonable.

Indeed, even if a £12 million fee was to be submitted for Thomas this January, Stoke would likely laugh it off, given they have no reason to sell.

Stoke have never had the reputation of a selling club, an area which they are looking to improve by signing younger, undervalued players for cheap before selling them for a profit, with Thomas being an example of that.

Harry Souttar was sold to Leicester in January 2023 for a potential £20 million, whilst Nathan Collins was sold to Burnley in June 2021 for £12 million, and with Thomas currently playing at a higher level than either of those at the time of the sales, Stoke would likely command in excess of double ChatGPT's prediction.

It cannot be understated just how integral Thomas has been to Stoke this campaign and helped to sustain their promotion push, and any sale of him this winter would likely almost completely rule them out of the hunt.

Stoke have lingered in the bottom half of the Championship for much of the past eight years, with this season presenting their best chance of earning promotion back to the Premier League in that time.

Manager Mark Robins must do everything in his power to keep the forward at the club beyond this window, and with Thomas playing the best football of his career to date, it's unlikely that he will force a move.

Any hopes Stoke have of playing Premier League football next season hinge on whether Thomas stays at the club or not, and though Bournemouth have the money to prise him away from Staffordshire, whether Stoke's financial demands meet their desires remains to be seen.