Stoke round-up: Two defenders linked; Jack Butland resumes training; record season ticket sales expected

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The Daily Mail are reporting that Stoke City are contemplating a move for Hull City left-back Andrew Robertson and Leeds United defender Charlie Taylor.

Robertson was the subject of a £10,000,000 bid from Burnley during the January transfer window, a deal that was rejected by incoming Hull manager Marco Silva as he remoulded his playing squad. However, The Tigers currently sit three points from safety despite an upturn in form and Stoke are preparing to move for the 23-year-old should their rivals suffer relegation to The Championship.

Leeds United defender Charlie Taylor has also been linked with a move to The Potteries. The 23-year-old has been a star performer in Gary Monk’s team this season and Stoke are considering making a bid in the summer should a move for Robertson fall through. The Yorkshire club would be unwilling to allow their young starlet to depart Elland Road but could be powerless to prevent a move should they fail to gain promotion to the Premier League this season.

Mark Hughes is looking for a new left-back to provide competition for Erik Pieters and is also keen to freshen up the Stoke playing squad by bringing in younger faces. Both Robertson and Taylor fit these requirements and it is likely that The Potters will succeed in acquiring one of the pair.

Meanwhile, Stoke City have been boosted by the return of first-choice goalkeeper Jack Butland to full training this week almost one year since his last competitive appearance.

The 24-year-old suffered a fractured ankle whilst playing for England in a friendly fixture against Germany last March and has struggled to regain his fitness despite a number of attempted comebacks.

Butland completed pre-season training in the summer but broke down on the eve of the new season with a reoccurrence of pain in his ankle whilst a second comeback in December resulted in the goalkeeper needing further surgery. However, the Stoke Sentinel have reported that the England international finally returned to full training this week after spending the last fortnight working on a one-to-one basis with goalkeeping coach Andy Quy.

Butland tweeted his delight on Monday afternoon, posting on social media “great first day back training with the boys. Ankle felt really good and I’m getting more confident with it by the day! Not long now!”

Finally, Stoke City chief executive Tony Scholes has told the Stoke Sentinel that the club are on course to make history with record-breaking season ticket sales in preparation for next season.

The Potters are set to sell over 20,000 season tickets for the first time and the club hierarchy have been encouraged by the increased interest amongst supporters. Scholes believes that the club have a “sell-out feel”:

“We’ve got the sell-out feel. I would describe sales as being very good but as in previous years we are expecting to be very busy over the last few days [before the season-ticket deadline]. If you look at this season we have sold out the home tickets in all but one game. Next season we envisage having capacity crowds right the way through the season.”

The Bet365 Stadium is also set to receive a facelift during the summer with the corner between the south and east stands being filled in to provide an extra 1,800 seats and pushing the overall capacity up to 30,000. This means that up to 27,000 Stoke City supporters will be packed inside the ground for each home fixture next season and Scholes told the Stoke Sentinel that the developments would enhance the atmosphere on match days.

“There’s a lot of work to be done over the summer but at the moment we are on track [ground developments]. There’s going to be more people in the stadium and the ground is enclosed to a degree, so my own view is it can only enhance the atmosphere.”

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