Stoke City issue new Emre Tezgel plan after contract agreement – these 3 League One clubs should swoop ft Reading FC
After signing a new contract at Stoke City, striker Emre Tezgel could be set to head out on loan next season.
Tezgel became Stoke’s youngest-ever player when he made his debut in a 2-0 FA Cup win over Leyton Orient in January 2022, and after spending the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at MK Dons, he became more regularly involved in the first team last term.
The 19-year-old was handed plenty of opportunities in the early stages of last season under Steven Schumacher, but he featured just four times after the arrival of Mark Robins in January, with his last senior minutes coming back in February.
However, while Tezgel struggled for first-team game time, he was in fine form for the Potters’ Under-21 side last season, scoring an incredible 22 goals in just 10 appearances, and that has been enough to earn him a new two-year contract at the bet365 Stadium.
After the news of Tezgel’s new deal was announced, Stoke sporting director Jonathan Walters said that the striker needs “increased exposure to first-team football in the upcoming campaign”, and he hinted that he could be sent out on loan if “the right opportunity in the right environment arises”, pointing to the examples of Tommy Simkin and Nathan Lowe, who both thrived at Walsall last season.
With that in mind, we looked at three League One clubs who should target a loan deal for Tezgel this summer.
Wycombe Wanderers
After seeing their automatic promotion push collapse before losing to Charlton Athletic in their play-off semi-final last season, Wycombe Wanderers will be determined to go one better next term and secure a return to the Championship.
Striker Richard Kone was the Chairboys’ star man last season, scoring 21 goals in 52 games, but the club could be vulnerable to losing the 21-year-old this summer after missing out on promotion, and even if he does not depart, manager Mike Dodds may still be keen to bolster his attacking options to ease some of the burden on his talisman.
Adams Park has been an excellent destination for players to develop in recent years, with the likes of Caleb Taylor, Xavier Simons, Cameron Humphreys, Aaron Morley and Gideon Kodua all impressing after joining Wycombe on loan last season, and Dodds has a strong track record for improving young talent from his time at Birmingham City and Sunderland.
There may be some question marks over how much game time Tezgel would receive with the Chairboys, particularly if Kone was to remain at the club, but given his background in academy coaching, there may be no better manager for the striker to work under than Dodds.
Reading FC
Despite the off-field turmoil they experienced, Reading only just fell short of the play-off places in League One last season, and they will be hoping to improve on that in the upcoming campaign after Rob Couhig completed his takeover of the club, bringing Dai Yongge’s nightmare reign to an end.
With Billy Bodin’s loan deal expiring and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan and Jayden Wareham yet to sign the new contracts they have been offered, the Royals currently have no senior strikers on their books, so strengthening the forward line will be a priority for manager Noel Hunt this summer.
Reading are now free to operate without restrictions under new ownership, so it is possible that they could look to bring in a high-profile number nine, but Couhig has stressed that he is keen to run the club in a sustainable manner, meaning that it is unlikely the Berkshire outfit will be spending big transfer fees this summer, and they may still look to use the loan market wisely.
With that in mind, Tezgel could be a shrewd addition for the Royals, and he would fit in perfectly with the club’s exciting young squad, which is full of academy players who have been developed by Hunt.
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