4 Stoke City players who are likely to stay in the Premier League

Stoke City v Crystal Palace - Premier League
Stoke City struggled to get going during the entire Premier League season

Stoke City got relegated from the Premier League following a 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace last weekend. They will be playing in the second tier of the English football for the first time in ten years.

The Potters struggled to find any sort of form right from the beginning of the season and even the change of their manager during the mid-season couldn't prevent them from going down.

However, there are a number of talented players in the Stoke City squad who don't deserve to go down and are likely to return to the Premier League with different teams.

Right on this note, let's look at four Stoke City players who are likely to stay in the Premier League next season.


#4 Bruno Martins Indi

Stoke City v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League
Bruno Martins Indi missed much of the season with injuries

The Dutch international had to miss a number of games this season due to his injury problems and things might have been different for the Potters' leaky defence if the big defender featured on a more regular basis.

After proving his talents in the Eredivisie, Martins Indi joined Stoke City on-loan in 2016 - a deal which was made permanent in 2017.

This season, he made 1.2 tackles per game and also completed 21 interceptions in England's top-flight. His distribution was also impressive and 75% of his crosses found his teammates.

The former Feyenoord man is a strong defender and he likes to bully the attackers to take the ball away from them.

Indi is also good in the air and doesn't shy away from making tackles. He is a fine athlete and is comfortable with the ball in his feet, which enables him to play as a left-back as well.

There are a number of Premier League clubs who will be in the market for a good centre-back in the summer and the Dutch defender is likely to attract a number of suitors.

#3 Joe Allen

Liverpool v Stoke City - Premier League
Joe Allen is one of the lights in Potters' dismal season.

The former Liverpool midfielder, Joe Allen is one of the few shining lights in the Potters’ dismal season and will be surrounded with a lot of transfer speculations during the summer transfer window.

The Welsh international played 35 games in the Premier League this season, registering two goals and six assists.

The 28-years-old joined Stoke City in the summer transfer window of 2016 and featured in 71 PL games for the club since then.

Often described as the 'Welsh Pirlo', Joe Allen is a technically gifted midfielder who can dictate the tempo of the game with his passing skills.

He improved the creative side of his game at Stoke City and also helps the attack by making smart runs into the final third.

West Ham, Newcastle, Swansea and Wolves are all showing interest in the midfielder and it will be interesting to see which club the 'little magician' chooses to play for in the next season.

#2 Xherdan Shaqiri

Stoke City v Southampton - Premier League
Xherdan Shaqiri is a Champions League winner

From winning the UEFA Champions League in 2012 to getting relegated from the Premier League in 2018, Xherdan Shaqiri's career is quite contradictive.

He joined Stoke City from Inter Milan in 2015 for a then-club record transfer fee of £12 million and quickly became a fan favorite with his eye-catching performances.

The former Bayern Munich attacker scored eight Premier League goals this season and also provided further assistance to six goals.

The Switzerland international played 83 times for the Potters in the Premier League scoring 15 goals.

Quick, direct, ambidextrous, Shaqiri owns just about every skill that is needed to play for a big club.

He likes to shoot from the distance and scored a number of belters during his time at the bet365 Stadium.

While West Ham are currently the favorites to sign the Stoke City midfielder, Shaqiri this summer, Everton and Crytal Palace are also showing interest in the Swiss international.

#1 Jack Butland

Stoke City v Newcastle United - Premier League
Jack Butland is likely to make into England 's World Cup squad

Stoke City's goalkeeper Jack Butland was one of the most talented goalkeepers in the Premier League and is really unlucky to face a slip.

The 25-year-old made 135 saves so far this season, which is the most among the goalkeepers playing in the Premier League this season. He also kept six league clean sheets and was at fault individually for just one of the goals he let in.

His impressive performances also caught the attention of Gareth Southgate, who regularly deployed him between the sticks during the past one year. Butland is now in a contention to make it to the English World Cup squad.

Butland is linked with Liverpool since the past few weeks and he might be playing in the Premier League with the Reds next season.

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Edited by Alan John