"A key asset in Steven Schumacher’s side" - Stoke City urged to avoid Tottenham transfer agreement | OneFootball

The Potters' fan pundit thinks Burger will stay at the club and it is imperative that they keep him this summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stoke City face a tough task keeping hold of key man Wouter Burger this summer, with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly interested in bringing him to north London before the transfer window slams shut.

The central midfielder was signed from FC Basel last August for a fee of around £4.3 million and enjoyed a successful debut season for the Potters, alerting multiple clubs to the possibility of signing him this summer.

It was reported by TEAMtalk in May that Stoke face a battle to keep him due to interest from Spurs, relegated Sheffield United and two other unnamed sides from within the Premier League.

Journalist Fraser Gillan has since stated that Spurs are 'big fans' of the Dutchman, but no deal is happening just yet, and he remains a Stoke player for the foreseeable future.

A fee of around £12 million is reportedly set to be enough to prise him away from the bet365 Stadium, but Stoke do not need to be pressured into selling Burger, with three years still left to run on his existing deal.

Stoke City urged to resist Tottenham bids for Wouter Burger

While any deal for Burger does not seem imminent, it would not come as a shock if the saga surrounding his transfer goes right down to the wire this summer.

Football League World's Stoke fan pundit Sam Harrison believes that it would be a massive blow to the Potters' chances of pushing up the table in the new season if Burger was to leave in the coming weeks, but is confident that he will remain a Stoke player for the 2024/25 campaign.

“I think it’s a real interesting one, for me, my gut feeling is that he is going to stay,” Sam told FLW.

“I just feel that under Schumacher he’s already shown us how good he is. Last season he was definitely in the top two players of the season for us, he’s such a key asset in the midfield both on, and off the ball.

“He was playing in the number six role last season, but during pre-season we’ve seen him play a bit more advanced, and it has worked well. He’s looked good, but obviously you can’t look too much into the games.

“He’s definitely such a key asset in Schumacher’s side - you need your core players to constantly perform week-in, week-out, and Burger has shown us he can do that. “I feel like last season he brought the attacking side to his game, passing through the lines and getting us moving, but was also doing the dirty part, the getting stuck-in. “He’s the type of guy that will get his foot in, and get a slide tackle in in the first minute to get the fans riled up, and he’s a type of player that we haven’t really had recently.

“He’s definitely a fantastic player, and it would be a huge loss if we did lose him, but at least if we do you’d expect him to go for a substantial amount of money, especially when big teams like Spurs are being linked.”

Stoke City must keep hold of Wouter Burger at all costs

Burger played European football in Basel, and has featured for all of the Netherlands' youth sides from under-15's to under-21's level, while long being highly-rated in his native country, so his move to Stoke raised some eyebrows as a potentially huge coup for the club.

His impact on the Potters' performances since his arrival cannot be understated - he was a key player under Alex Neil and current head coach Schumacher in his debut season in Staffordshire, as he registered four goals and four assists in 41 games in all competitions and impressed with his mature, imposing presence in central midfield.

Schumacher has remained defiant over keeping the 23-year-old at the club this summer, as well as teammate Bae Jun-ho, who has been linked to Dutch giants Feyenoord, and insists that no teams have made an official approach for Burger as yet.

"I’d just say to our fans that speculation is good, it shows that our players are doing something well, but there’s been no bids for either of them," he told StokeOnTrentLive.

“Absolutely (they are a big part of my plans), both of them are...we want to build our team around our best players not lose them.

"Wouter’s come back in brilliant condition in the off-season and his pre-season has looked really sharp."

It is clear that nobody connected to Stoke wants to lose Burger in the transfer window, and he will remain at the club provided there are no official bids for his signature.

With that said, if Spurs do make a move for the Dutchman in the coming weeks, he would certainly not be begrudged for wanting to leave, given the stature of the two clubs and the chance to play at the top level.

Unlike years gone by, Stoke are not in desperate need of cash to fund incomings, and so can hold out on a potential sale until they receive a worthy bid for Burger - it would therefore likely take an over-the-odds amount to secure his services, so Stoke fans can seemingly relax over his future for the time being.