Steven Schumacher reveals plans for Stoke City loan talks

Luke McNally is among five loanees set to return to their parent clubs after Stoke City's final match of the season.
Luke McNally is among five loanees set to return to their parent clubs after Stoke City's final match of the season. -Credit:Gary Oakley/Getty Images


Steven Schumacher and the Stoke City hierarchy will sit down with departing loanees next week to discuss their futures.

Talks have been on hold about new deals, possible returns or thank-you-and-goodbyes until Stoke were mathematically sure they would be playing in the Championship again next season. That took until the penultimate weekend of the season and now Stoke will play their final match, at home against Bristol City on Saturday, before tackling what happens next.

Loanees Daniel Iversen (Leicester), Ki-Jana Hoever (Wolves), Luke McNally (Burnley) and Luke Cundle (Wolves) are all likely to start the last match before returning to their parent clubs. Sead Haksabanovic (Celtic) is ruled out with a groin problem.

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Schumacher said: “I think we’ve had five good loans, they’ve all contributed and all done excellently. It’s important that I sit down with them after the game at the weekend and thank them for their efforts. It’s not easy coming into a club on loan and giving 100 per cent but I think all the loan players have given everything they’ve got. I’m really pleased for them.

“Moving forward, that will have to be conversations we have with the recruitment team. If they are the best player, we think, for the position that we need to fill and a position we need to recruit then that’s what we’ll do but they are conversations we will have next week.”

Stoke City loanees 2023/24

Ki-Jana Hoever (aged 22, from Wolves, 34 league starts, five sub appearances, four goals, four assists)

Luke McNally (aged 24, from Burnley, 35 starts, two sub, two goals, one assist)

Mark Travers (aged 24, from Bournemouth, 13 starts)

Daniel Iversen (aged 26, from Leicester, 17 starts)

Luke Cundle (aged 22, from Wolves, 10 starts, five sub, one goal)

Sead Haksabanovic (aged 24, from Celtic, 11 starts, eight sub, one goal, two assists)

Chiquinho (aged 24, from Wolves, one start, two sub)

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