What impact will Stoke City’s young stars have next season?

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Stoke City flew out to North America at the start of the week as Mark Hughes’ team continue their pre-season preparations with a training camp in Florida.

The Potters now have a full complement of senior players available with Jon Walters, Glenn Whelan, Shay Given, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri all returning to training after being granted an extended summer break following their exploits in the European Championships, whilst Geoff Cameron is also due to meet up with the squad after playing a key role in the USA’s Copa America campaign. They will also be joined by Joe Allen and Ramadan Sobhi who were both unveiled as Stoke City players on Monday following their arrival from Liverpool and Al Ahly respectively.

Intriguingly, despite the wealth of experienced players now available, Mark Hughes has also included half-a-dozen youth team players in the squad that has travelled to America. Julien N’Goy, Olie Shenton, Daniel Gyollai, Joel Taylor, Eddy Lecygne, and George Waring have all journeyed to Florida despite making no senior appearances for the club last season.

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The Stoke City chairman, Peter Coates, has publically admitted that one of his primary objectives is to develop a leading academy system that will nurture players capable of playing for the first team. The Potters have made substantial investments in their academy in recent years and have succeeded in attracting some of the best British and continental youngsters to The Potteries.  The decision by Mark Hughes to fly six of the hottest prospects within the club out to Florida with the senior team demonstrates his commitment to developing young players and, potentially, suggests that the recent investment in the academy is starting to come to fruition.

But who are these young stars that are aiming to break into the first team set-up?

Local protégé Ollie Shenton has spent over a decade rising through the ranks within the Stoke City academy and he is regarded as being one of the brightest talents within the club. Mark Hughes handed him his debut in 2014 and in January he signed a new four-year contract extension that will see him remain in The Potteries until 2020. A talented, technical central midfield playmaker, Shenton is the most likely academy prospect to break into the first team this season.

Left back Joel Taylor was the outstanding players in the Stoke City under 21 squad last season after being converted from a winger to an attacking fullback. He was selected as the Young Player of the Year for the 2015/16 season and, in an interview with the Staffordshire Sentinel, he  was described by youth team coach Glenn Hodges as being the “one who has probably progressed the most … he has got all of the attributes, it is up to him whether he puts it into place”.

Frenchman Eddy Lecygne had his loan spell with Doncaster Rovers cut short last season after making just one appearance as a substitute. However, the central midfielder is rumoured to have greatly impressed Mark Hughes during the start of pre-season and he was one of the shining lights in Stoke City’s opening friendly against Burton Albion. Lecygne is a neat, tidy passer of the ball but is also sharp and competitive in the tackle.

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However, despite the obvious potential that some of these young players possess, it will be incredibly difficult for any of them to break into the senior set-up.

Stoke City now boast a squad which consists of multiple international superstars and proven Premier League specialists. The club continues to spend big in the transfer market and young players are continuing to fall further down the pecking order. For example, in order for Ollie Shenton or Eddy Lecygne to cement their place as part of Mark Hughes’ central midfield, they must potentially displace Glenn Whelan, Joe Allen, Charlie Adam, Marc Wilson, Gianelli Imbula, Stephen Ireland, Ibrahim Afellay, and Bojan Krkic. The calibre of player blocking their path will make the task almost impossible.

But this issue is not one that is limited solely to Stoke City and it will be a problem that can be found at every Premier League club across the country. With the financial benefits of competing in the Premier League now becoming so significant the question that every manager faces is “do I gamble with youth? Or do I stick with experience?” Unfortunately, in a business where a manager is lucky to remain at one club for more than a season, short-term thinking is favoured and this results in young prospects being overlooked for proven experience.

The other problem facing academy players at Stoke City, and other Premier League clubs, is that the standard required to compete in one of the leading divisions in the world is extraordinarily high. The outstanding quality of players that make up most Premier League sides means that it is becoming more and more difficult for young players to make the transition from the youth team to the first team.

It is certainly not impossible, Southampton and Tottenham have proven in recent seasons that young players can progress into the senior set-up if they possess the right quality and if there is a manager willing to demonstrate their faith in them, but it is a tall ask for any academy player.

It remains to be seen if Ollie Shenton, Joel Taylor or any of the other academy prospects at Stoke City have the talent and ability to make the transition to the first team. But their invitation to Mark Hughes’ training camp should certainly give them hope.

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