"I thought it was going to happen" - Claim made on Stoke City, Luke Cundle transfer situation | OneFootball

"I thought it was going to happen" - Claim made on Stoke City, Luke Cundle transfer situation | OneFootball

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Football League World

·7 September 2024

"I thought it was going to happen" - Claim made on Stoke City, Luke Cundle transfer situation

Article image:"I thought it was going to happen" - Claim made on Stoke City, Luke Cundle transfer situation

The Potters were able to do a lot of temporary deals over the summer period.

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...


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Stoke City had another very active summer transfer window, with a double-digit number of players being brought in.

The Potters look to have really bolstered their squad this summer. A lot of the signings that Steven Schumacher made have had a quick impact on the team, with the hope being that they can kick on now that the transfer window is shut.

Stoke used their Premier League connections a lot this summer, but one City supporter, Sam Harrison, would have liked another top flight player to have moved to the bet365 Stadium before the 11pm on August 30th.

Premier League target eyed by Stoke supporter

Harrison, Football League World'sStoke fan pundit, has revealed that he wanted to see Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Luke Cundle come back to the club this summer, after his short-term loan spell in the previous campaign.

Harrison said: "When you look at it, if we hadn't have got Tom Cannon or any striker, it wouldn't have been urgent or anything too big, but you would have looked at it and thought 'did we try hard enough to bring in a striker?'

"Getting things over the line with Cannon was a big one. It's a big statement. By the looks of it there were a number of clubs interested in him and we were able to get the deal done, so that's really good to see.

"Cundle is a player that I'm quite fond of, and I think Schumacher could have got the best out of. I thought it was going to happen. You look at him in the Wolves squad and it looks like it's not working out, unless he's injured and that's why he's not involved.

"But I think, last season, in terms of the latter stages, the link-up play and his involvement in that midfield was really solid. He understood the players around him but also wanted Schumacher wanted him to do as well, so I feel like that could have worked well this season.

"But also I think you then think of squad depth, which is always mentioned a lot; having that big squad that can play week in, week out, even with midweek games. Rotating him and having him in the midfield would have been really good as well.

Article image:"I thought it was going to happen" - Claim made on Stoke City, Luke Cundle transfer situation

"But, on that note, you look at who they brought in. Andrew Moran is a real good prospect. I think he's a fantastic player.

"You watch him in that Middlesbrough game. He got three assists, his passing, his movement. I think if he's given that creative licence to get involved in the link-up play then he could be a really key one.

"You then compare him to that of Cundle. Would you then say we've already got Moran, we don't need Cundle. Maybe that's what the club has said, which is totally fair. "We've lost Lewis Baker, Daniel Johnson and Josh Laurent, so I thought that might have opened the door for Cundle to come in. But I think our midfield has a lot of quality in it, in all fairness. I just think that it would have been nice to bring in Cundle.

"I don't think it's anything too serious that we haven't been able to get him, but we might look to bring him in again in January. That might be the plan."

Stoke's interest in Luke Cundle is understandable

It wasn't just Harrison who wanted to see the 22-year-old return to Stoke, the club did too. Alan Nixon reported, on deadline day, that City were going to bring him back after the departure of Baker. However, later that morning, Stoke Sentinel reporter Pete Smith said any deal for him was unlikely, which turned out to be the case.

Across the whole of last season, when he was also on loan at Plymouth Argyle for the first part of the campaign, Cundle racked up a combined 12 goals and assists.

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