Stoke forward Tezgel agrees new deal
Stoke City forward Emre Tezgel has signed a new two-year deal with the Championship club.
The 19-year-old became Stoke’s youngest first-team player when he made his debut in a 2-0 FA Cup win over Leyton Orient in January 2022 at the age of 16.
He scored twice in 17 appearances for the Potters last season, both in EFL Cup games, and last played for the first team in the 2-0 Championship defeat by Bristol City in February before spending the rest of the campaign in the club’s under-21 side.
“I’ve been here my whole life, I feel like it’s my club,” Tezgel told BBC Radio Stoke.
“I’ve sat down and spoken with staff here and they’ve made a plan for me and I think it’s clear I just need to play football, whether that’s here or elsewhere (on loan).
“I need to get the experience and grow as a player and this is the right place.”
Following his senior debut against Orient in 2022, he also came on as a substitute in Stoke’s fourth-round tie that season and then played four times in the 2022-23 campaign, all off the bench.
Tezgel spent the second half of the following season in League Two on loan at MK Dons where he found the net three times in 17 appearances.
The Potters academy graduate now wants to improve his physicality and speed and adapt to the demands of the Championship so he can nail down a regular place.
“I’ve not had a great three years if I’m honest,” he added.
“I’ve had three long-term injuries and I’ve always wanted to do better.
“I don’t think people have seen enough of me yet so I need to show what I can do, and hopefully do it soon.”
Chelsea are open to the fact that they need to sell a host of players, especially those that spent last season on loan.
The club’s policy is not to carry a large group of loanees that are not expected or likely to make it into the first team.
In their 28-man Club World Cup selection, only one loanee progressed into Enzo Maresca squad from last season, midfielder Andrey Santos.
The rest, Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and more – are mostly available for sale. The asking price for Kepa is known to be only £5m as he enters the last year of his contract, while Benfica are being credited with serious interest to re-sign Felix.
In Sterling’s case, the winger made 12 starts on loan at North London club Arsenal last season while the Blues paid around half of his current £300,000-a-week wages.
EFL loanees like Alfie Gilchrist, Alex Matos, Leo Castledine and Zak Sturge are also exploring permanent transfers away from Stamford Bridge.
Defender Sturge, 20, is in advanced talks about making his loan move at Millwall permanent at the end of the season.
Chelsea prefer sales rather than loan moves at this stage but could relax their position later in the transfer window if they struggle to find exits for players.
Midfielders Kendry Paez and Mathis Amougou are expected to join Strasbourg on loan while goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe is in talks over a new contract and potentially joining League One club Bolton Wanderers on loan.
