Stoke City clear-out was ‘not before time’ as play-off place eyed
Stoke City have let senior players such as Josh Laurent and Tyrese Campbell leave over the summer
A break from the Championship presents a time to reflect on the exits Stoke City have sanctioned over the last few months and look ahead to the hopes and expectations of what’s going to come next. On our fans’ panel this week are DAN DELACOE-EYRE, from Bünde in Germany but now living in Richmond, North Yorkshire; RICHARD JAMES, from Blythe Bridge; and SIMON MARSON, from Stone.
Do you wish Stoke had kept any from Campbell, Leris, Baker, Johnson, or Laurent?
Dan Delacoe-Eyre: Not really, apart from possibly Leris who I felt gave us a decent run out against expectations. That said we received a decent fee for him and it made sense for club and the player. Campbell was a player I really liked and wished time and again that it would work out for him to realise his potential, but I feel that things got stale and with his many niggles and injuries, it was right to let him go.
I liked Johnson’s attitude and work ethic, but he wasn’t the player who was so good for Preston. As for Baker and Laurent, it was also the right decision. Two players who should have been colossuses in the Championship with skill and strength in abundance but they failed to deliver. Almost as if they were too good for us and knew it.
Johnson, clearly an Alex Neil signing, was a disaster, I had high hopes when we signed him but it has not worked and at his age he needed to move on.
Baker and Laurent are a little different, I would have liked Baker to stay, he is a goal threat and certainly has quality in the ball however there must be a reason why numerous managers have not fancied him but who knows. Laurent again had quality but it was just not shown enough, the money received for him is great business for us. I don’t think him or Baker ever let us down and I wish them both well. I can see why Schumacher let them all leave, the squad needed freshening up.
