Ben Pearson won't like fresh Stoke City transfer update - Potters exit looming? | OneFootball

Stoke City's link with Austria Wien midfielder Abubakr Barry could spell bad news for Ben Pearson

Stoke City simply must get things right in the upcoming summer window to end a decade-long spell of disappointment, and current members of the Potters squad have to fall victim to circumstance.

Almost exactly ten years ago, Stoke had just recorded their third consecutive 9th-placed finish in the Premier League, boasting players such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Marko Arnautovic, Bojan Krkic, Ryan Shawcross, and Steven Nzonzi.

A decade since then, the Staffordshire outfit have just recorded their tenth bottom-half finish in a row, eight years after relegation from the top flight, and Steven Nzonzi is still in the midfield, which is a level of consistency that can only be respected. That is, if you're not a Stoke fan.

Sitting pretty in 3rd after ten games into the Championship season, behind only Middlesbrough and Coventry City, Stoke finally looked to break that curse this year, until an absolute car crash in the second half of the campaign ensued, and the Potters eventually dropped to 17th, despite only the aforementioned Coventry and Middlesbrough spending more time in the top two than them over the course of the year.

Manager Mark Robins has come under increased scrutiny in his role at the helm, with Football League World having previously exclusively revealed the club were sounding out alternatives in case of his departure.

Though at the moment, the former Coventry boss remains in charge and looks to lead the club into the summer window, where recent links could spell bad news for a certain Potters midfielder.

Stoke City's links to Austria Wien's Abubakr Barry could be bad news for Ben Pearson

It's set to be another big summer rebuild for Stoke, who cannot afford to get things wrong for much longer.

With the announcement that both Nzonzi and Lewis Baker will be leaving the club upon the expiry of their deals, this leaves just Tomas Rigo (23), Tatsuki Seko (28), and Ben Pearson (31) as the club's only three midfielders.

Rigo will almost certainly be a mainstay in the Potters' midfield next season, whilst the futures of Seko, and in particular Pearson, are in more doubt.

Seko has struggled to cement his place in the side since arriving from his native Japan in the summer of 2024, whilst Pearson has consistently struggled with injury, and more so, disciplinary problems.

No player in Championship history has picked up more yellow cards than Pearson's 95 across spells with Preston North End, Bournemouth, and Stoke, with the Englishman's erratic nature proving more costly than it's proving to be worth.

That's why Stoke's link with Austria Wien midfielder Abubakr Barry could spell bad news for the 31-year-old, whose time in the Potteries could be coming to an end.

Barry, 25, has made nine appearances for the Gambian national team, and has just enjoyed a second successive season in the Austrian capital, scoring four and assisting four in 28 appearances from the middle of the park.

The midfielder made the switch from his native Gambia to Israel in 2018 with Maccabi Haifa, and would go on to play for the likes of Hapoel Nof HaGalil, Hapoel Kfar Shalem, Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon, Hapoel Kfar Saba, and Bnei Yehuda before his move to Austria in 2024.

Now, it looks as though he is set to make his next move, with the Potters launching a bid worth around €3 million (£2.6 million) for Barry in an attempt to lure him to the Potteries.

The Gambian has previously spoken about his desire to take the next step, saying: "At the moment I'm not thinking much about going somewhere else. But yes, every player wants to take bigger steps in their career. So if a bigger opportunity arises, why not?"

Whether that bid from Robins' side will be accepted remains to be seen for now, but with Stoke clearly eyeing up midfield reinforcements, it can only be bad news for Pearson, whose time at the bet365 Stadium may have reached the end of its line.

Mark Robins must be ruthless in his decision-making when it comes to his Stoke City squad this summer

With restlessness and frustration rife throughout the Potters fanbase, Stoke simply cannot afford to make many, if any, bad decisions this summer when it comes to transfers.

Viktor Johansson and Sorba Thomas have been excellent additions to the squad over the past couple of years, though aside from them, the majority of the rest have flattered to deceive, including Pearson.

Having initially joined the club on loan from Bournemouth, he made the permanent move to North Staffordshire in 2023 and has made just shy of a century of appearances in the red and white, although that could have been a lot more if it weren't for a string of injuries and disciplinary issues.

Pearson is a loose cannon at the best of times, and for a side that is in desperate need of some solidity and level-headedness in the midfield, the 31-year-old could be deemed surplus to requirements.

Robins must be ruthless in his squad building this summer, and will have a big decision to make about the future of Pearson, whose current terms in the Potteries lasts until 2027.