Marked for Sam Gallagher
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Mar 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad15 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Stoke City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Divin Mubama gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Nobody could get near Bae Jun-Ho
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Michael Bailey was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Stoke City dressing room was either.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
The plan did not have a place for Jack McGlynn
Nobody at Stoke City is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
Match13 Mar 2027
Point won or two lost for Stoke City?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Swansea City? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Market15 Mar 2027
The George Hirst talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Stoke City know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market1 Feb 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Stoke City have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market1 Feb 2027
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Bosun Lawal had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Stoke City
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market1 Feb 2027
The bid was some way short and Stoke City did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market1 Feb 2027
Sam Gallagher hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Stoke City can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Stoke City close the window on a squad of their own making
4 in and 4 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Squad1 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Stoke City this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match30 Jan 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Stoke City did not have in the autumn.
Transfer targets1 Feb 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Hull City have kept their man, and Stoke City go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Nov 2026
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Stoke City are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Nobody could get near Bae Jun-Ho
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Ben Pearson and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Loan watch30 Nov 2026
16 appearances away from home and 9 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
Joe Buršík asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Michael Bailey was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Stoke City dressing room was either.
Market30 Nov 2026
Million Manhoef is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Stoke City has been clear about where Million Manhoef stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad30 Nov 2026
One booking too many, and Michael Svoboda sits out. Stoke City lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market17 Aug 2026
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Stoke City have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The offer went to Watford this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
$7.3M was the most the club would pay and Liverpool were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Watford have kept their man, and Stoke City go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Market17 Aug 2026
Tranmere Rovers pay $4.8M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market17 Aug 2026
Smorgon come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Stoke City did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $7.8M — a club that wants Trey Nyoni enough to be asked twice.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
3 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.