4 Premier League players that Stoke City could sign ft Andrew Moran | OneFootball

The Potters should look to bring in this crop of youngsters from the top-flight

Stoke City are undergoing a big summer of clear-outs and wise transfer decisions as they look to finally push on in the Championship next season.

Steven Schumacher is in his first summer window as Potters boss, and has dipped his toe into the transfer market, with standout goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, experienced centre-back Ben Gibson and exciting wing-back Eric Bocat arriving from Rotherham United, Norwich City and Sint-Truiden respectively.

Numerous first-team players like Tyrese Campbell and Wesley have departed upon the expiry of their contracts, while centre-backs Matthew Baker and David Okagbue have rejoined Newport County and Walsall on respective permanent deals and young goalkeeper Tommy Simkin has also joined the Saddlers on a season-long loan.

More arrivals and departures are certain to happen in the coming weeks, and Schumacher and co. still have a lot of work to do to shape the Potters' squad before the window slams shut on August 30.

With that said, these are four current Premier League players that we believe Stoke could sign ahead of the new season.

Andrew Moran

Irish international Andrew Moran is one of Brighton's brightest young talents, but it seems likely that he will be loaned out to the second-tier again to gain vital experience for the future.

Moran joined Brighton in 2021 from Bray Wanderers amid interest from fellow Premier League sides Manchester United and Chelsea, and hit double figures for both goals and assists for their U18 side in his debut season in England, instantly proving just why he was linked to such high-profile sides.

He made three first-team appearances for the Seagulls in two seasons, including one in the Premier League in 2022/23, before he joined Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan last summer, despite Stoke being named as frontrunners for his signature in a report by TeamTalk in July.

The 20-year-old's campaign at Ewood Park was a mixed bag, as he registered four goals and nine assists in 41 appearances in all competitions, but just 25 of those games were starts in a turbulent season for the club as they narrowly avoided relegation under John Eustace.

He largely fell out of favour with Eustace towards the end of the season, but his prior impressive form proved that he is clearly a player with talent, and Stoke should look to reignite their interest and reap the benefits of his ability for the season ahead.

The Potters need some creative flair in their midfield, as it is something they lack with their current crop, and Moran could be the key to helping them push up the table in 2024/25.

Daniel Jebbison

Striker Daniel Jebbison has already been on the move once this summer, yet it would not come as a shock if he was loaned out to a Championship side from new club Bournemouth in the coming weeks.

The Canadian-born England youth international joined Sheffield United in 2018 and made his first-team debut for the Blades in May 2021 against Crystal Palace, then appeared again a week later against Everton and scored his first professional goal in a 1-0 win, becoming the youngest player ever to score on their first start in the Premier League at 17 years and 309 days.

He made 35 appearances and scored a further two goals for United across four seasons, and was never able to nail down a starting spot in either the Championship or top-flight, so rejected a new contract offer in May to leave the club for pastures new.

It will have come as a shock to many that Jebbison secured a move to Premier League Bournemouth in early July, but it seems unlikely that he will be a part of Andoni Iraola's first-team plans for the new season, and so he is set to be watched by second-tier sides that need to bolster their attacking ranks.

Leeds United and Sunderland are both reportedly interested in bringing in the 21-year-old on loan before the transfer window ends, according to HITC, with a host of Championship clubs also attentive to his situation and the Cherries happy to see him join a second-tier side.

Stoke should be one of those, as they need at least one new striker this summer given their poor record in front of goal last season - they were the Championship's sixth-lowest scorers in 2023/24, and their highest-scoring centre-forwards in the league were Ryan Mmaee, who is currently injured, and Tyrese Campbell, who has now left the club, with just three goals each.

It is clear given recent links to Tom Cannon and Ike Ugbo that Steven Schumacher is searching for a new addition, and Jebbison may be that player to complement a more natural goalscorer in his side next season.

Luke Cundle

Wolves man Luke Cundle is no stranger to the Potteries, after he spent the second-half of last season on loan at Stoke and ended the season on an impressive note, despite a slow start.

He had prior experience of the second-tier before joining the Potters, after impressing throughout the 2022/23 campaign at Swansea City, and then spending the first half of last season at Plymouth Argyle, before he followed boss Schumacher to the bet365 Stadium in January.

The 22-year-old started his Stoke spell in the starting eleven, but was soon resigned to a bench role after he failed to make an impression on Schumacher's midfield.

He came off the bench to score his first goal for the Potters in a relegation clash at Sheffield Wednesday in April, then started in all of Stoke's final three league games as they won each of them without conceding, and even popped up with a goal and two assists in their final league outing against Bristol City to cap off a brilliant final month with the club.

Cundle managed to win the Stoke fans over, despite a sub-par start, and really influenced Schumacher's side when playing on the left of the centre as the most advanced midfielder in his 4-3-3 system - he is a very similar player to the aforementioned Moran, and it would be unlikely that the both of them sign for the Potters this summer.

He gave Stoke something different to the rest of their midfielders, as he was more effective in the final third and able to combine well with wingers Bae Jun-ho and Million Manhoef - it seems a no-brainer for Schumacher to bring him back to the bet365 Stadium this summer, and his signing should be viable on loan or even on a permanent deal.

Ki-Jana Hoever

Dutch youth international Ki-Jana Hoever is another Wolves player that could be on the move this summer, and possibly also back to Stoke after endearing himself to the Potters faithful while on loan from Molineux over the last 18 months.

Hoever joined Wolves from Liverpool in 2021 for a reported fee of £9m, but struggled to nail down a regular first-team spot at Molineux and so joined Stoke on loan in January 2023.

He became a hit in his initial half-season spell at the bet365 Stadium under Alex Neil, registering four goals and one assist in 15 league games as his successful six months prompted the Potters to loan him in again for the full 2023/24 season.

The 22-year-old was a near ever-present under both Neil and Steven Schumacher last campaign as he made 44 appearances in all competitions, and played a key role in the Potters' eventual Championship survival by chipping in with four goals and five assists from right-back.

The talents Hoever possesses in his position are tough to replicate at Championship level, so Schumacher would no doubt love to hold on to the former-Liverpool youngster.

His defensive abilities have been questioned by sections of the Stoke support at times, but his attacking output proved invaluable in a period where the Potters have struggled for goals, and it would be seen as a real coup to secure him on a permanent deal, with a loan more likely as he is not out of contract at Molineux until 2026, and Wolves paid £9m for him just four years ago.