Stoke City: Midfielder contract call a no brainer for Steven Schumacher: View | OneFootball

Jordan Thompson has stepped up for Stoke City this season and the club should look to retain his services past his contract expiry this summer.

The 27-year-old recently played his 150th game for the Potters, after signing from Blackpool in January 2020 to link up with then-Stoke boss Michael O'Neill, who he had previously played under at international level for Northern Ireland.

Thompson has gone on to earn 37 caps for his country, and has been used as a utility player for the three Stoke bosses he has played under in the last five years.

He is out of contract at the end of the 2023/24 season, but the club reportedly hold an option to extend his contract for another 12 months, according to StokeOnTrentLive.

A left-footed defensive midfielder by trade, he has found himself playing at left-back more often than not this season after Enda Stevens' calf injury saw him ruled out for three months, with no immediate back-up at the club.

He has found form since Steven Schumacher's arrival in December, featuring in 18 of the 22 league games he has managed so far, compared to 12 of the previous 22 games this season under former manager Alex Neil and interim boss Paul Gallagher.

Thompson the man to rely on

Now in his fourth full season in the Potteries, Thompson has started 23 games in all competitions this season, a figure only bettered by his 29 starts in 2020/21 as the club finished in 14th.

Originally a Manchester United academy product, he moved to Rangers in 2015 and featured three times for the Scottish giants in three seasons amidst loan spells at Raith Rovers and Livingston.

He then built his reputation as an energetic, tough-tackling midfielder whilst at Blackpool in League One from 2018 to 2020, when Stoke swooped to bring him to the bet365 Stadium.

He has often been used as a rotational player throughout his time with the Potters, but has recently drawn praise from boss Steven Schumacher for impressing in a 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle to help stave off the Championship relegation places and nearly see the club to safety for another season.

“He’s been really good, JT, since we’ve come here. I think he’s been really consistent," he said.

“He’s played nearly all the time, he’s played at left-back for us, he’s played at wing-back for us, and against Plymouth he showed the quality that he’s got. That’s obviously his preferred position.

"“He was brilliant. He showed what a good player he is. In the first half, he got on the ball and kept things ticking, and for him to play 150 games for this club is really good and I’m sure he’ll play some more.”

No-brainer for the boss

It is likely a pretty straightforward decision for Steven Schumacher to extend Thompson's contract for another season, especially given he is one of the lowest earners that plays regularly at the club, according to estimates from Capology.

Ben Pearson, Thompson's direct positional rival and perhaps the player most alike him in the squad, has not had the season he would have wanted in the Potteries since he made a loan move from Bournemouth permanent last summer, and this has been in some part to Thompson's form moving him ahead of Pearson in the pecking order for a starting spot.

Pearson had started just four games under Schumacher, before a hamstring injury against Norwich saw him all but ruled out for the rest of the season with eight matches left.

Schumacher will also likely want to retain some of the long-serving players at the club due to him only recently arriving in December, and Thompson is only second in club appearances in the current squad to Tyrese Campbell (158), who is also out of contract this summer.

If Stoke's decision is to extend and Thompson is left to accept or find a new club, it is very likely that he will be lining up in red and white again next season, with a young family that is settled close to the area and the opportunity to play week-in-week-out in the second tier too good to turn down.