Rangers tipped to capitalise on "strange" Stoke City exit | OneFootball

Tyrese Campbell's departure from Stoke City was confirmed over the weekend, with the forward penning a heartfelt message after eight years with the Potters.

Campbell is out of contract in the summer, and will not renew terms as he searches for a new permanent home for the first time as a professional player, after joining Stoke as a 16-year-old from Manchester City.

Via Instagram, he said:"Since having conversations last week and learning my time at the Club would be coming to an end, I’ve had some time to reflect on my last 8 years…

"I joined Stoke City as a boy with a dream of playing in the Premier League. Whilst I wish that for the Club and myself it had happened more often, I will be forever grateful to those who made it a reality.

"I leave a man with memories that will stay with me for life. I have met teammates that will be friends and brothers for life. Thank you to the fans who have supported me through the good times and the bad, it has meant the world to me.

"To my teammates, coaches, staff and everyone I had the pleasure to work with, thank you for everything ❤️ I’ll never forget my time here and the club has a special place in my heart."

A report from Football Insider back in February suggested that Rangers were interested in signing Campbell on a free transfer, with the forward’s contract expiring at the end of the season.

Carlton Palmer's Tyrese Campbell/Rangers verdict

Ex-England international and current EFL pundit, Carlton Palmer, has questioned the decision to allow Campbell to depart the club, and expects there to be plenty of interest in the forward. However, he ultimately expects a move to Ibrox for the 24-year-old this summer.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, he said: "Campbell has thanked the Stoke supporters, coaching staff, and club for his eight years because he is now leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season.

"I find this pretty strange that he's been let go. He's 24 years old, but I know he has had a disappointing season.

"I don't know whether it's a case of them offering him a contract, and he's not signed one, because we know that the club rejected a bid from Hellas Verona in January. "You would think that if they have turned down an offer for him, then maybe Campbell didn't want to go, but if they weren't going to offer him a new contract to retain him at the end of the season, then surely you would have sold him in January. "It doesn't make any kind of sense. Maybe they thought they'd leave it until the end of the season to see which league they would be in, and therefore couldn't offer a player a Championship level deal if you might be playing in League One. "Unfortunately, they are letting a talented player go. It's been a disappointing season for him personally but also for the club. "Only 24 games in all competitions this season, and only 14 starts in the Championship, but he's still got a bright future ahead of him. "He's only 24 and has shown that he can score goals at this level. Rangers were a mooted club previously, and there will be a host of Championship clubs interested in him. "I suppose now, he's got to look at where he'd like to play football, but being able to leave on a free transfer, it's also on him to get a very good contract as well.

Tyrese Cambell's next steps

Campbell made 164 appearances for the Potters, scoring 36 goals and notching 21 assists. His most prolific league campaign in a Stoke shirt was 2019/20, where he netted nine goals in 33 appearances - bagging a goal every 180 minutes, on average.

The 24-year-old has become somewhat of a divisive figure among Stoke supporters in recent years, with debates over his attitude and whether he has ever been the same player since that injury after scoring at a much slower rate of 18 goals in his next 98 games for the club. He was far from the only Potters player underperforming in a disappointing campaign that saw them flirt with relegation but it's hardly been a stellar campaign from the forward.

However, there is undoubted talent there, and it's not too late for his career to get back on track, be that with Rangers or another Championship club taking a chance on a poor injury record this summer. When fit, Campbell has the quality to offer something at the upper reaches of the second tier.