Stoke City make big decision on Ben Wilmot future | OneFootball

Stoke City are triggering Ben Wilmot's one-year extension in his contract

Stoke City have announced their second piece of business this summer as Mark Robins' side head into a huge transfer window.

It proved to be another season of disappointment in the Potteries for Stoke, who succumbed to their 10th consecutive bottom-half finish in a row.

Despite being one of the quickest teams off the mark, winning four of their opening five, this form proved to be unsustainable for Robins' side, as they tumbled down the table, eventually finishing.

In fact, their excellent start to the campaign proved to be the deciding factor in the Potters staying up, with only Sheffield Wednesday picking up fewer points than Stoke across the last 30 games.

Robins will be well aware his squad needs further surgery, and with player contracts due to expire across the EFL, Stoke are no exception, as the club has already made one big decision on the future of one of their key players.

Stoke City have triggered Ben Wilmot's one-year extension option

Ben Wilmot is the longest-serving player currently in the Stoke squad, having joined from Watford in the summer of 2021 for around £1.5m to £2m, and has since gone on to make 188 appearances across all competitions for the club.

Signed under potential Blackburn Rovers boss Michael O'Neill, Wilmot had just earned promotion to the Premier League with the Hornets and was hoping to do the same with Stoke.

It hasn't exactly panned out that way, and the centre-back has since played under five different managers during his time in North Staffordshire, alongside countless teammates, seeing a huge amount of turnover in the squad since his arrival.

Having last signed a three-year contract extension with the club in the summer of 2023, his deal with the Potters was due to expire this summer, but Stoke have taken action to ensure they don't lose him on a free by triggering his one-year extension clause.

This comes after the club managed to tie down Viktor Johansson to a fresh four-year deal, extending the Swede's stay in the Potteries until 2030, which could be the best piece of business they do all summer.

Though whether Wilmot, 26, intends to spend another year of his career with Stoke remains to be seen, and with 12 months until he officially leaves on a free, if he is unwilling to sign a new deal, the Potters may decide to cash in on him in the coming months.

Wilmot's centre-back partnerships at the bet365 Stadium are now well into double digits, and with Stoke having made little to no progress during his time with the club, he may be keen to try his hand elsewhere sooner rather than later.

However, the most important thing for Stoke is that they will not be losing him for nothing, at least not this summer, though whether he stays for next season, at this stage, remains to be seen.

Mark Robins must plan for another Stoke City rebuild amid Ben Wilmot contract decision

With the worry of Wilmot leaving on a free transfer now dealt with, all focus will be on the summer window for Robins and Stoke.

The decision on the expiring contracts of the likes of Lewis Baker, Steven Nzonzi, Aaron Cresswell, and Frank Fielding still needs to be made, with each of them, at this stage, set to leave the club at the end of the month.

Baker is the club's second-longest serving player after Wilmot, joining the club on a free transfer from Chelsea six months after Wilmot, whilst Nzonzi, 37, and Cresswell, 36, signed one-year deals in the summer that have yet to be extended.

As a huge summer window looms, the final decisions on currently-contracted players will be made soon, with Wilmot's fate having already been decided.