Clubless, winless and hit a hat-trick - how seven players released by Stoke City are getting on

Tom Edwards, right, signed a two-year contract at Salford City after leaving Stoke.
-Credit: (Image: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)


There were some decisions that were easier than others when Stoke City came to submit their retained list at the end of last season.

Tyrese Campbell had ended the campaign strongly but hadn't been able play and score regularly enough to hang a hat on going forward. D'Margio Wright-Phillips had shown glimpses of his potential on a loan move to Beerschot in Belgium and hadn't yet had the chance to show what he could do to Steven Schumacher.

But the calls were made to cut them free and, along with five senior clubmates, head into the summer as free agents. Some of that seven found new homes quite quickly and have been able to start the next chapter of their careers. Here is a chance to look at what has happened next to Campbell, Wright-Phillips and the rest.

Tyrese Campbell

The 24-year-old striker had got his first taste of Stoke's first team back in 2018 in the Premier League and at times he looked like the striker who could haul the club upwards. Schumacher has talked candidly about the tough decision to let him go and Campbell trained with an individual coach through pre-season before eventually winding up at Sheffield United, where he will play with his old pal Harry Souttar.

He has signed a three-year deal, made a couple of appearances from the bench and scored a hat-trick in an 8-2 thrashing of Watford for the under-21s at Bramall Lane. Fellow former Potter Rhys Norrington-Davies also got a decent run out during that game as he tries to recover from a nightmare with injuries.

Chris Wilder told the Sheffield Star: “From Tye's point of view, I think it's been a tough gig for him in recent years, because there's not been any continuity. You could argue he's been a part of that but there's an exciting player in there that we can hopefully get the best years of.

“We're all really positive and want to work with him. The biggest thing is that he's got the tools; now we need to do our stuff and we need that to come back from him. From meeting him and knowing his background, meeting with him a couple of times, my gut feeling is that he's all in. Everything points to that from meeting him. Sometimes you come away thinking: ‘I'm not so sure.’

“But I came away thinking: ‘This boy needs a bit of a break.’ And if we can get him going, then we've got one hell of a player on our hands. We've got to do that and there's a pressure on him as well, but he understands that. And fingers crossed, he'll be one of those that we look back on in a few years and say: ‘That was a decent bit of business.’”

READ MORE: Stoke are in for a treat with transfer who has 'world class potential'

READ MORE: Striker exit confirmed after talks with boss

Ciaran Clark

An emergency signing when Stoke suffered injuries to centre-halves last winter. Played in Alex Neil's final three games but didn't get on the pitch again.

Joined the PFA pre-season for free agents in the summer and is on the lookout for another club.

He said: “People are at different stages of their career, there are older lads and younger lads but everyone’s still looking for that same goal to get fit, stay fit, and find a club.

“You can see how much it helps the lads. It’s massive really, physically and mentally. Being around the lads and the coaches, getting your training sessions in, eating together. It’s all the lads know really. It’s what they’ve grown up doing like myself and when that stops it’s kind of like ‘Well, what do I do now?’ Going to the gym on your own is not the same. If it wasn’t for the PFA I think a lot of people would be in tough situations.”

Tom Edwards

Once expected to nail down Stoke's right-back spot for a decade but, for various reasons, barely played after being named Sir Stanley Matthews Football of the Year in 2019.

Now aged 25, Campbell's old youth teammate has signed a two-year contract at Salford City and is getting the chance to build himself up again in League Two.

Blondy Nna Noukeu

The towering 22-year-old keeper joined Stoke from Belgian club Mouscron and was called up to the Cameroon senior team while getting the chance to gain experience out on loan at Crawley and Southend.

Has now joined Championship rivals Sunderland, saying: "It's been a few weeks of hard work and patience and I'm a strong believer that you get what you give. I'm really happy to get the opportunity to prove myself once again."

Tom Sparrow

Former Stoke youth captain dipped his toe into the first team as an emergency wing-back while picking up experience on loan at Chester, AFC Telford and Hamilton Academical. Now aged 21, he has moved back to Scotland to join Motherwell.

Five appearances so far, coming off the bench to score in a 3-1 win over Hearts.

“That was my first professional goal, so it’s brilliant," he said in the Daily Record. “I was just pressing the ball, it was in front of me, and I kind of had to stretch for it, so I thought I’d try to get it towards the goal, and it has gone in.

“It gives me confidence, like any goal will, but the win is more important and it’s only three points at the end of the day, so we just need to carry on and look to next week. I don’t really set goals targets. I probably should, but I just keep trying to get into the right areas and hopefully they will come.

“In terms of getting in the team and staying there it doesn’t hurt, but that’s not down to me, I just keep doing my best and see where it takes me.”

Wesley

Got on the pitch pretty regularly under Alex Neil but slipped out of the squad under Schumacher and no surprise when a one-year deal was not extended. Still only 27 but career seems to have been shaped by dreadful injury picked up at Aston Villa. Now hoping to play regularly in the Turkish second tier with Fatih Karagumruk, where he has been joined by Daniel Johnson.

D'Margio Wright-Phillips

A baptism of fire in the Belgian top flight with Beerschot, who he had helped win promotion while on loan last season. It's one point from the first six games, shipping 14 goals. The last three matches have been tight, however, losing 4-3 to Genk, going down 1-0 with 10 men against Standard and 2-1 against Dender.

"I think it was clear that I felt very good here," Wright-Philips said when he moved back in July. "I was able to show what I'm worth here again. That's why I wanted to stay at the club and take a step up together. I'm sure that I can still learn a lot here and grow as a player and as a person."

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