Inside the bet365 Stadium with Posh reunion, Arnautovic tears and ticket update
Latest Stoke City news as Mark Robins steps up pre-season ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign
Stoke will take a sell-out allocation of more than 2,300 supporters for a pre-season friendly at Crewe Alexandra tonight (7.30pm).
Match day tickets are now available for the opening Championship fixture of the season against Derby County (Saturday, August 9, 3pm). The match is designated as a Category A fixture so adult tickets are available from £30.
Tickets are on sale for Stoke’s Carabao Cup first round tie at home against Walsall (Tuesday, August 12, 7.45pm). Stoke will open the Tile Mountain Stand for the fixture and season ticket holders can get in for £13, or £10 over-65s, £4 under-18s, £1 under-11s.
Stoke academy graduate David Okagbue is stepping up to League One after an eye-catching couple of years with Walsall.
The centre-back, now aged 21, joined Walsall initially on loan in 2023 and signed permanently last summer, going on to help the club reach the League Two play-off final.
He joins forces with his old Stoke youth coach Kevin Russell, who is back at London Road as assistant boss – and Posh have also been linked with a move for Connor Taylor, another former Stoke junior now with Bristol Rovers.
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson said: “David is a player that we have been keeping an eye on for a little while. He is at a good age with lots of room for improvement and development. What he will add is pace and physicality to our defensive unit, which is something that I was looking for and he has good experience of playing a whole season with Walsall in League Two.
“He came through the ranks at Stoke City, so Kevin Russell knows him very well. I see a lot of potential in the boy, he is not the finished article, but he is never going to be at the age of 21. He is an exciting young player that we are excited to work with, but he has the added bonus of raw pace and physicality.”
Arnie is finally back
Marko Arnautovic has followed his family roots to Serbia to sign for Red Star Belgrade.
The former Stoke talisman has been a free agent after leaving Inter, who he has recently helped reach the Champions League final. At 36, he has decided it is time to play for the club he grew up supporting. He was on the verge of tears as he was unveiled.
