Stoke City are set to be busy in the transfer market in the coming months as Steven Schumacher shapes his squad ahead of the new season.
The Potters have already signed standout goalkeeper Viktor Johansson and experienced centre-back Ben Gibson from Rotherham United and Norwich City respectively, and soon look set to seal the arrival of Sint-Truiden defender Eric Junior Bocat.
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 set to depart upon the expiry of their contracts this summer.
Other than those already out-of-contract, Stoke are yet to allow any players to leave the club so far this summer – with that in mind, FLW offers three names from the Potters’ ranks who could potentially benefit from a spell away on loan next season.
Tommy Simkin
Walsall-born goalkeeper Tommy Simkin has been with Stoke since the age of 12, progressing throughout the youth ranks to eventually make his senior bow for the club last season at 19-years-old.
The England youth international has been a regular for the Potters’ U18 and U21 sides in recent years, amid loan spells at National League North outfit AFC Fylde in 2022/23 and then National League side Solihull Moors in 2023/24.
He played 19 times for the Moors in an impressive spell in the first half of the last campaign, but was recalled to the Stoke first-team squad in November following an injury to then-second-choice keeper Frank Fielding.
| Tommy Simkin Solihull Moors 2023/24 statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 18 |
| Goals conceded | 19 |
| Clean sheets | 6 |
| Save percentage % | 74% |
| Assists | 1 |
| Stats as per sofascore – (National League only) | |
He spent four games on the bench before he made his Potters debut against Sheffield Wednesday on December 9, just a day after his 19th birthday, with Jack Bonham unavailable due to sickness.
After six more games as back-up, he joined League Two side Forest Green Rovers on loan until the end of the season in the winter window, but managed just one game for the Green before his spell was cut short just a month later.
He needs game-time in men’s football, but is unlikely to push Bonham or new signing Johansson out of the first-team picture, so a loan move in the coming months would make sense for him, and Stoke, who see him as a future heir to the senior number one spot.
Nikola Jojic
Winger Nikola Jojic was one of numerous overseas players to arrive in the Potteries last summer, joining Stoke on a four-year deal in August for a reported fee of £1.2m, after a breakout season in the Serbian Superliga with boyhood club Mladost Lučani.
The 20-year-old made his debut for the club a week after his arrival as a substitute in the EFL Cup against Rotherham United, then made his first league appearance off the bench against Preston North End four days later, but failed to make much of an impact in either game.
Despite it only being September, that was to be his last appearance of the season in a first-team game, as then-boss Alex Neil consigned him to an unused substitute role and soon dropped him from the matchday squad altogether.
Jojic instead largely featured for the club’s U21 side, as he registered four goals and two assists in 15 Premier League 2 appearances.
The Serbian youth international is clearly a talented player, as shown by the transfer fee he commanded following an impressive time with Mladost, but it seems unlikely that he will be considered for a first-team berth next season by Steven Schumacher, given the wing options he possesses.
Despite his lack of impact and the strange way in which his signing has panned out, it would be a shock to see Jojic leave the Potteries on a permanent deal this summer, so a loan move abroad looks the most likely outcome for him in the coming months.
Liam McCarron
Left-back Liam McCarron joined the Potters from Leeds United two years ago, but has since struggled to break into the first-team squad.
McCarron initially broke through at boyhood club Carlisle United in League Two, but made the move to Leeds in July 2019 and soon became a regular for their U21’s in the Premier League 2, even making his senior Premier League debut in December 2021 at 20-years-old.
He was likely promised the prospect of first-team football upon arrival at Stoke in June 2022 under then-boss Michael O’Neill, but the Northern Irishman was sacked just two months after his arrival, with new manager Alex Neil almost immediately sanctioning a loan move for McCarron to local rivals Port Vale.
The cross-city move was not a successful one, as he made just four appearances in his first two months, with only two of those in League One, before he returned to the Stoke fold in January 2023 to play in four U21 games after seemingly having his time with the Valiants cut short.
After spending the whole of last year with the Potters U21’s, McCarron was handed a lifeline by current head-coach Steven Schumacher in January, as he was given his first-team Potters debut as a substitute in the FA Cup against Brighton, in a surprise move by the former-Plymouth boss – he could not play in the league though, as he was not included in Stoke’s initial 23-man squad submitted to the EFL.
Despite that appearance, it seems highly unlikely that he will be in Schumacher’s thoughts for next season and beyond, with Enda Stevens and prospective new signing Eric Junior Bocat set to be ahead of him in the pecking order at left-back.
The 23-year-old does only have one year left on his contract too, so a loan move in 2024/25 would allow him to play games elsewhere to either earn a new deal at Stoke, or put himself in the shop window for a free transfer next summer.
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