Stoke City to Snap Up Highly Rated Midfielder With More Transfers Expected
Stoke City are set to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Luke Cundle on loan until the end of the season.
According to reports from the Telegraph’s John Percy, Cundle will complete his medical to re-join new Stoke City boss Steven Schumacher, who originally signed the midfielder on loan with Plymouth Argyle at the beginning of this season.
Cundle’s expected move to Stoke comes just hours after Plymouth announced that the 21-year-old ended his loan spell and returned to parent club Wolves.
The 21-year-old will join the Potters with plenty of Championship experience. Cundle made 32 second-tier appearances for Swansea last season before joining the Pilgrims on loan at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign, where he played a further 24 matches.
Stoke are making swift moves in the January transfer window as Cunlde joins Schumacher’s outfit as the second signing following Daniel Iversen’s arrival from Leicester City on Friday.
In addition, reports from the Stoke Sentinel suggest that this is just the beginning of the Potter’s foray into the January transfer market with more incoming expected over the next three weeks.
However, Cunldes’ move to the b365 Stadium means that Stoke have now filled their loan quota of five allotted players for the season. As a result, the Potters might have to look for lower fee or free transfer options moving forward.
Stoke are currently 19th in the Championship and were eliminated from the FA Cup on Saturday after a 4-2 home loss to Brighton and Hove Albion. Schumacher replaced Alex Neil in the bet365 hot seat on December 19 and has won just one of his opening five matches in charge.
Writer’s View
Signing Cundle will be a big move for Stoke as the up-and-coming midfielder has shown plenty of promise at Championship level over the last 18 months. An output of five goals and assists whilst at Plymouth shows the Potters have faith in Cundle to help improve on their return of just 24 Championship goals scored this season.
In addition, the Potters’ hopes of bringing in more players throughout January suggest a large-scale shift may be occurring following Schumacher’s appointment. However, such ambition will need to be replicated on the pitch as Stoke have just one win in their last 13 matches.
