Stoke City: You may be very surprised where these 3 ex-Potters stars are playing now | OneFootball

These three ex-Stoke City players have ended up in unexpected places since departing the club

Stoke City have had many big names pass through the club over the years - both from their Premier League and Championship days.

A decade of top flight action alone saw signings made from Barcelona, Inter Milan and Monaco

Recent years have even seen deals done to sign players from abroad at big clubs like FC Basel and Sampdoria.

The Potters will be hoping the current squad can get the team back into the top flight in the near future, with Narcís Pelach now in charge of overseeing that ambition.

But here we take a look at three former Stoke players from yesteryear that are still playing that you won’t believe where they’ve ended up...

Marko Arnautovic

Marko Arnautovic signed for Stoke from Werder Bremen in 2013, arriving after previously playing a very minor role in Inter Milan’s 2010 Champions League triumph.

The Austrian was one of multiple winners of the European Cup in the squad during the Potters’ time in the Premier League, with Bojan and Ibrahim Afellay achieving the same feat.

But the 35-year-old remarkably made his return to the Serie A giants in 2024, signing for Simone Inzaghi’s side from Bologna on a permanent basis after an initial loan spell back at the club.

Arnautovic has enjoyed even more success in the latter stages of his career by making this comeback to San Siro.

He was a part of the team that won the Scudetto last season, featuring 27 times in the league in total, albeit only five times as a starter.

Mario Vrancic

Mario Vrancic spent one season at Stoke during the twilight of his career, competing with the Potters during the 2021/22 campaign.

The Bosnia & Herzegovina international made 30 appearances in the Championship as the team finished 14th in the table.

He contributed three goals and five assists before making the switch to Croatian side Rijeka.

But Vrancic has since moved to German football, joining Eintracht Frankfurt II, the underage side of the Bundesliga outfit.

The 35-year-old made the move last summer after departing Sarajevo, and has already made five appearances in the Regionalliga Sudwest, which is the fourth tier of German football.

Frankfurt are competing in the southwest division, with their sights set on earning top spot in the table - Vrancic is providing an experienced head in the middle of the park, whilst also captaining the side.

Kevin Wimmer

Kevin Wimmer signed for Stoke in 2017, joining from Tottenham Hotspur after a difficult two years with the London outfit.

The defender spent four years contracted with the Potters, but only featured in one campaign as he was ultimately loaned out to Hannover 96, Mouscron and Karlsruher SC in the years following the club’s relegation to the Championship, proving to be a real flop in Staffordshire.

The Austrian eventually earned a permanent move away from City in 2021, joining Rapid Wien in his home nation.

He's since made a further move switch to Slovakian outfit Slovan Bratislava, where he has earned the opportunity to compete in both the Europa Conference League and the Champions League.

The 31-year-old even made his return to English football earlier this season, appearing for his current club against Manchester City in a 4-0 loss in their second league phase game in October.