"The right thing to do" - Stoke City urged to cash in on marquee international player this summer | OneFootball

South Korean international Jun-ho could be set to depart the bet365 Stadium

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Stoke City have been urged to sell South Korean international winger Bae Jun-ho for profit this summer following new reports from his home country that his agent is in England to prepare to enter transfer negotations ahead of a likely upcoming exit.

Jun-ho joined Stoke from K-League outfit Daejon Hana Citizen in August 2023, arriving in the Potteries as a relative unknown on a four-year deal for a reported fee of around £2m amid a flurry of incomings that summer.

He has since become an important player and starting eleven mainstay for the Potters off the left wing, but did struggle to initially adapt to English football under both Alex Neil and Steven Schumacher.

The 21-year-old went on to win Stoke's Player of the Year award at the end of his debut campaign, after some standout performances in the second half of the season, but again found it tough to impact games throughout the last term.

He has received transfer interest from English clubs and abroad, and could well move on this summer as the Potters look to balance the books financially.

Stoke fan pundit issues Bae Jun-ho exit verdict amid agent talk - a sale is 'the right thing' to do

Jun-ho was largely limited to substitute appearances upon his arrival in ST4, but he went on to play a crucial role in the second half of the campaign and soon crowned his fantastic debut season by winning the club's Player of the Year award while ending his debut term with two goals and six assists in 40 games in all competitions.

Despite the strong transfer interest from elsewhere last summer, it always seemed likely that Jun-ho was set to stay with Stoke. However, his inconsistent form across the last season has left Potters fans bemused and wondering if the club should have let him leave for a sizeable fee if one was to be offered.

Much like most of the squad, he was the victim of Stoke's numerous managerial changes, which saw Robins appointed as their third manager of the campaign in January. The 21-year-old likely suffered from burnout, due to playing many minutes at such a high level compared to the K-League, and was also often played out of position at right-wing.

He still registered a decent return of three goals and five assists in 45 Championship appearances, but was unable to help the Potters improve any further as their relegation survival effort went to the final day.

South Korean outlet Chosun have now reported that his agent has travelled to England to prepare for negotiations, and it seems quite possible that Jun-ho will make a move to a higher league ahead of next season.

FLW's Potters fan pundit, Sam Harrison, thinks that Stoke should look to sell the 21-year-old soon as a result of his struggling form and due to the fact that they need to bring in decent fees for some key assets this summer to then be able to invest in new players.

“With Bae Jun-ho at Stoke, I think it is the right thing to look to cash in on him, and I think it is the right time to do so," Sam told FLW.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think he is a young lad that Stoke can build around, and I think it is still early doors (regarding) if he is moving away.

“If he stays, it would be great. We could see Mark Robins really try and unleash Jun-ho in terms of playing to his strengths, really understanding his needs and possibly playing him more centrally in a number 10 role.

“However, I do think it is the right thing for Stoke to sell him and bring in the money, if we can find the right price.

“There are going to be a lot of clubs looking at him, and I think he is a very decent young player that clubs will want to invest in for the future.

“If Stoke can get a sell-on clause in there that is going to help us financially in the future as well, that would be even better.

“It’s just a tough one with Jun-ho. (He) came in last season, and I think compare the two seasons he has had at Stoke, his first was probably better than the second one in terms of impact.

“He did score more (in the season just gone) obviously, with three goals and five assists compared to two goals and five assists in the season before.

“He’s just not managed to have the impact that he would have liked. He’s such a good technical player, with the ball at his feet he has got the magic to do it, but he just hasn’t been able to have the impact.

“And I think, you know what, there is a talented player there who, honestly, so many teams will be able to unlock his potential.

“If they can play to his strengths and get him playing some great football, he is an absolutely fantastic talent.

“I think that would be the reason why Stoke may think, well, if we can get the right money for him, then we can bring money in to invest in somewhere else.

“I think it is the right thing to do. We brought him in for around £2 million, and I think we will obviously make profit on that.

“It would be a shame (to see him leave). There is a very decent player there, but it has just been a difficult season for him, and I think money-wise it would help Stoke.”

Jun-ho has already attracted transfer attention from England and abroad - a departure seems likely this summer

Stoke's poor recent Championship campaign was compounded by their struggles to score goals as a team. Jun-ho certainly played his part in those struggles, and many Potters fans have expected him to kick on much further than he has so far.

The South Korean international's strong form with the Potters in his debut campaign saw reports of clubs in the Bundesliga and Serie A being alerted to his transfer situation, while three Premier League sides were also stated to be monitoring his progress, and Dutch outlet 1908.nl also revealed that Feyenoord were interested in securing his signature.

Fulham were also claimed to be admirers of the left-winger after his breakout season in the second-tier, but a report from StokeOnTrentLive last July stated that there were no plans for Stoke to sell him, barring an incredible offer, with his contract not up for another three years and the club in no rush to sell.

Fast-forward nearly another year, and the 21-year-old's form has stagnated, but he has displayed flashes of brilliance that may well alert clubs to his potential availability in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Stoke are in no position to turn down decent offers for any of their first-team players right now, as Mark Robins looks to build a balanced squad worthy of competing in the top-half, and Jun-ho feels like a player that the Potters may see fit to allow to depart instead of other sellable assets like Viktor Johansson, Wouter Burger and Million Manhoef.