Football League World
·15 July 2024
Laurent features: 2 dream scenarios Stoke City supporters would love to see this week
![Article image:Laurent features: 2 dream scenarios Stoke City supporters would love to see this week](https://image-service.onefootball.com/transform?w=280&h=210&dpr=2&image=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic0.footballleagueworldimages.com%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F07%2Fcopy-of-copy-of-flw-facebook-template-20-1.png)
Football League World
·15 July 2024
Potters fans will want these things to happen as soon as possible ahead of the new season
Stoke City need to conduct some clever business in the transfer window to try and improve on a disappointing last campaign.
Steven Schumacher is undertaking his first summer as Potters head coach, after joining last December from Plymouth Argyle and guiding the club to safety in the Championship following a poor run of form under ex-boss Alex Neil.
With Schumacher looking to put his own stamp on his squad ahead of his first summer transfer window, he has sanctioned the exits of first-team players Tyrese Campbell, Ciaran Clark, Wesley, Tom Edwards and D’Margio Wright-Phillips, with all departing upon the expiry of their contracts.
Matthew Baker and David Okagbue, meanwhile, 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.
Stoke finished 17th at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and are yet to finish in the top half of the second tier since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, so they need to improve their squad this summer, while also keeping hold of their top talents like Wouter Burger and Bae Jun-ho.
The Potters have conducted some transfer business since the season's end, with Swedish international goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, experienced centre-back Ben Gibson and exciting wing-back Eric Junior Bocat arriving from Rotherham United, Norwich City and Sint-Truiden respectively.
With a busy summer in mind, we have picked out two dream scenarios Stoke City supporters would love to see play out this week.
Laurent moved from Reading to the bet365 Stadium in 2022, and has since become captain and a key player in central midfield under both Alex Neil and current head coach Schumacher.
Despite his importance to the Potters in recent years, he has been linked with a move away from the bet365 Stadium ahead of the new season after The Athletic revealed that he is 'likely to leave' if the club’s valuation is met this summer, amid interest from across Europe.
The 29-year-old has just one year left on his current contract, and is reportedly being targeted by Super Lig side Gaziantep, according to Turkish outlet Telgraf, while The Athletic's latest update states that he is attracting interest from elsewhere in the Championship, so it seems plausible that he could leave the club soon if Stoke receive a bid that they feel is appropriate.
Given that he is the club captain, and will play a big part in next season's squad if he does stay, Stoke fans and Schumacher alike would surely love some clarity on his situation in the coming days as the club jets off to Ireland to play a pre-season friendly against Cork City.
It would be ideal if his future is dealt with sooner rather than later, especially after Ben Gibson led the Potters out in their friendly at Chester FC on June 11 despite Laurent also starting from the off, fuelling more rumours of a possible exit.
The Potters are yet to bolster their attacking ranks in the transfer window so far, but a new striker signing needs to be on the cards if they wish to improve on last season's poor performance in front of goal.
Stoke were the Championship's sixth-lowest scorers in 2023/24, and their highest-scoring centre-forwards in the league were Ryan Mmaee and Tyrese Campbell, with just three goals each.
Campbell has now left the club upon the expiry of his contract, so as it stands, Schumacher has Mmaee, Niall Ennis, Emre Tezgel and Nathan Lowe to pick from up front, with at least one of the latter two set to leave the club on loan in the coming months.
With that said, it seems likely that the club will spend the majority of their summer budget on a striker, and any transfer or loan deal would be welcomed by the supporters as soon as possible, especially given the lack of concrete links in the media to any attackers so far.
One striker that is reportedly of interest to Stoke is Leicester City's Tom Cannon, according to the Telegraph's John Percy, but new Foxes manager Steve Cooper is set to give him a chance to impress in pre-season before any decision is made on his immediate future, so that deal is not set to be an option anytime soon.
If the Potters can spring a surprise and bring in a new number nine this week, it would certainly drum up even more excitement and intrigue among fans about the coming season, and also stand the club in good stead going into the next few weeks before the season begins.