Johnson to go? 2 Stoke City players who face an uncertain end of August | OneFootball

FLW looks at two Potters players that could leave the club in the coming days

Stoke City have sold just one player for a transfer fee so far this summer, but that could change before the transfer window closes with more outgoings expected to give balance to Steven Schumacher's squad.

Schumacher allowed the likes of Tyrese Campbell and Ciaran Clark to leave the club at the end of their respective contracts in July, 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.

Mehdi Leris is the first, and only, high-profile departure of the Potters' summer so far, as he returned to Serie A to join Pisa SC for an apparent fee of €3.00m following a tough season in the Championship after he joined Stoke from Sampdoria last year.

There have been seven new faces to arrive at the club this summer, and so some more outgoings will likely need to happen soon if Stoke are to keep bringing in new players before the transfer window closes.

With that said, FLW offers two names from their ranks who could make their way out of the club before the end of August, either on permanent or loan deals.

Daniel Johnson

It is fair to say that life in the Potteries has not gone how Daniel Johnson would have wanted since his arrival from Preston North End last summer, and he looks likely to seal an exit before deadline day despite coming back into Schumacher's squad this season.

Attacking midfielder Johnson reunited with his former Preston boss Alex Neil when he signed a two-year deal for the Potters last July, with his eight years of Championship experience at the Lilywhites seemingly making him a great addition to his ranks.

He began the campaign as a regular under Neil, starting 15 of Stoke's first 18 Championship outings, but soon lost his place in the starting XI when Schumacher was appointed in December, and made the last of his 26 appearances in February as he was cast away from the matchday squad and made the bench just once more before the end of the season.

The 31-year-old returned to the fold to make a substitute appearance against Coventry in the opening game of this season and started at left-back in the EFL Cup against Carlisle United last week, but then he did not feature in the squad last weekend against Watford and has seen the likes of Andrew Moran and Bosun Lawal arrive in midfield in recent weeks.

It seems unlikely that he will force his way into Schumacher's long-term plans anytime soon, despite his spell back in the squad, and StokeonTrentLive has recently stated that it would be 'no surprise' if Johnson moves on before the end of the window.

Niall Ennis

Striker Niall Ennis has not had a great time in front of goal since he arrived in the Potteries in January, and could leave this week if Stoke bring in a new number nine, which seems likely as they step their search up.

Ennis joined the Potters from Blackburn Rovers in the winter window, after an unsuccessful half-season spell at Ewood Park in which he failed to register a goal or assist in 11 Championship games following his arrival from Plymouth Argyle last summer.

The Wolverhampton-born centre-forward enjoyed the best spell of his career at Home Park with 12 goals and six assists in 38 League One games under Steven Schumacher in the previous campaign, and so the Potters head-coach decided to link-up with him again at Stoke last season in a bid to improve their poor scoring record, but the move has not worked out for either party.

The 25-year-old netted once in 14 league games, seven of which were starts, with his solitary strike coincidentally coming against Rovers in his second appearance for Stoke, and failed to ever nail down a consistent spot in Schumacher's XI, despite a clear lack of other striking options.

He has begun this campaign behind youngster Emre Tezgel in the pecking order for places, and his only start so far has come against Carlisle, during which he saw the 18-year-old come on in his place and then score within two minutes of entering the pitch.

Ennis did not even figure in the matchday squad in Stoke's loss to Watford last weekend, with Ryan Mmaee back fit and on the bench, and he will find competition for places even harder when Sam Gallagher returns to fitness and another striker is likely signed.

He does not seem to be nursing an injury as it stands, so his lack of inclusion is a clear sign that he will struggle for games as the season progresses, and he may be better off seeking a loan move away for the season, or even a permanent move if a third-tier club wishes to spend a fee on his services.