Stoke City have successfully seen off Leeds United in their race to secure young striker Emre Tezgel.
The England youth international has been contracted to Mark Robins’ side for much of his career and finally made the step up to senior football last season, first on loan at Milton Keynes Dons and then at The Potters from January onwards. He played 23 times for the Championship side since making his debut at 16 years old, scoring twice.
Stoke Secure New Deal
With Tezgel out of contract this summer, Daniel Farke’s side fancied their chances at swaying the 19-year-old to Elland Road as they look to rebuild their frontline ahead of their ascent to the Premier League. Joe Gelhardt, Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph have all been linked with moves away, with only starting forward Joel Piroe seemingly in The Whites’ squad for their top-flight campaign.
However, according to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Stoke have reached an agreement with the striker, keeping him in Staffordshire for two more seasons. However, it seems likely that he will head out on loan this summer, following the promise of his time at MK Dons and in City’s Premier League 2 side.
Leeds were not the only club interested in Tezgel, with a TeamTALK report also revealing interest from Turkey in the form of Fenerbahce and other unnamed clubs in both England and Scotland.
Writers’ View
It is always better to stick with what you know with young players, and Emre Tezgel’s best chance at development remains with Stoke. The Potters have shown immense faith in him across his career, and with a promising season under his belt, the next two seasons likely lay out his path into the first team at The Potters. A successful loan spell, ideally to League One, will see him compete for a place at least on the bench for what is currently Mark Robins’ side. The former Coventry City boss has had a knack for developing young forwards, most notably Viktor Gyokeres and had kick-started Ellis Simms’ senior career following limited chances at Everton.
