Stoke City prepare player offer amidst transfer interest from Chelsea | OneFootball

Stoke City are said to be preparing to draw up a contract offer for their young starlet Emre Tezgel, as per a recent report by Stoke-on-Trent Live.

The 16-year-old striker is amongst some of the hottest properties at youth level in England right now and is widely regarded as one of the brightest talents to come out of the club’s academy in recent years.

Tezgel was promoted to play for the under-18s last season and has since repaid the faith shown in him by the Potters, scoring an impressive eight goals in seven games during the current campaign to date.

And his fine form hasn’t gone unnoticed, with UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea said to be among a string of admirers who are interested in securing his signature.

However Stoke are now said to be preparing to offer the striker a professional contract next month, with Michael O’Neill stating the following recently:

“Clearly we want the boy to stay at Stoke.

“We’ve had him training with the first team on a number of occasions when the opportunity has allowed. I think he’s enjoyed that and hopefully he sees Stoke as the right option for him.

“This is the nature of footballers at this age. They are very coveted and the recruitment process from the big Premier League clubs starts at a very young age.

“But we have to let Emre see that the pathway to the next phase of his career, wherever that may take him, is best served at Stoke.

“I certainly believe that’s what is best for the boy and I think his family do too.”

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John Carew joined Stoke on loan from West Ham.

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O’Neill is said to have met the player’s parents and is clearly confident of keeping hold of the young starlet as the Potters look to tie him down to a professional deal for the foreseeable future.

Tezgel is already an England youth international and will no doubt be seeking to move up the age ranks for both club and country over the coming years.

The Verdict

This is an important step for Stoke as they are once again in the process of convincing one of their most talented young players to stay put at the Bet365 Stadium.

As seen with the likes of Harry Souttar and Joe Bursik, the Potters are committed to developing and giving their best talents a chance in the first team and there’s certainly every chance that Tezgel could follow in their footsteps.

Providing that they can offer the striker the pathway that he needs in order to make it in the first team, there is every chance that he will sign a professional contract with them.

His head may have been turned by bigger clubs but surely he will acknowledge that Stoke offers him a great environment to take his game to the next level.