Stoke City exits for £1.5m signing and highest earner? | OneFootball

Ben Gibson and Sam Gallagher are two potential exits from Stoke City this summer

At one point in the campaign, it looked almost certain that Stoke City would finally finish in the top half of the Championship table, after seven consecutive seasons of bottom-half finishes since relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

Under the guidance of former Coventry City boss Mark Robins, the Potters began the season excellently, challenging both Middlesbrough and the Sky Blues at the summit of the table in the early stages of the campaign.

However, they have since been unable to sustain that form and suffered a significant drop in the division, with a place in the top six now unlikely and a place in the top half far from confirmed.

Despite this, they remain on course for a much-improved campaign than that of last year's, having only narrowly survived on the final day of the season by one point.

Signs of improvement at Stoke, both on and off the pitch, are evident, with the best defensive record in the league and, on the face of it, an improved recruitment strategy that they hope will pay dividends in years to come.

Though heading into the summer, there remains a lot of surgery needed on the squad if they are to become real challengers for Premier League football anytime soon, with both incomings and outgoings required.

With that being said, FLW has taken a look at two players who could leave the Potteries this summer.

Ben Gibson

Signed in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer after his release from Norwich City, 33-year-old Ben Gibson penned a three-year contract at the bet365 Stadium, taking him all the way through to his 34th birthday.

Gibson joined whilst the club was under the watch of current Bolton Wanderers boss Steven Schumacher, and whilst, on the face of it, his addition appeared to be a quality one, it has not transpired to be.

As per estimates from Capology, Gibson earns in excess of £35k per week, making him Stoke's highest earner; for that, you’d think he’d be an ever-present in the side and one of the club's best performers on a weekly basis.

Whilst he certainly started as an important player under Schumacher and then under Narcis Pelach, since Robins took the helm, the former Middlesbrough and Burnley defender has seen his game time slashed.

Injury woes this season throughout the squad have seen him appear on the pitch sporadically; he remains an emergency option, and given his lucrative wages, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Potters try and move him on this summer, though his wages will likely prove to be a big stumbling block in any move.

Sam Gallagher

From one summer 2024 signing to another, even at the time, on the face of it, Sam Gallagher’s £1.5 million move from Blackburn Rovers looked like a puzzling one.

The striker has never been especially prolific throughout his career with the likes of Blackburn, Birmingham City, and Southampton, yet the Potters were happy to pay a seven-figure sum and offer him a wage of £25k per week, as per estimates from Capology.

One thing he did have on his side throughout much of his career was his injury record, with a minimum of 34 league appearances in each of his first four seasons at Ewood Park. Though the warning signs were there in his final year, his game time drastically decreased.

Stoke gambled, and so far, it hasn’t paid off, and it looks increasingly unlikely that it ever will. Now 30, the Scot has been injured for more time than he has been available for since signing for the Potters, which, given his wage, is something the club simply cannot afford to continue to stomach.

Like Gibson, Gallagher is under contract until 2027, and though in an ideal world, they will likely be keen to move him on, once again, his wage demands will present a big issue in any move.

However, if Stoke are to progress, they simply cannot be paying in excess of £60k per week on two players with a combined 15 league appearances this season, and should look to move the pair on by any means necessary this summer.