Stoke City simply can't afford Tyrese Campbell repeat this summer | OneFootball

The Potters are taking a real risk if they let Emre Tezgel leave upon the expiry of his contract in June

Stoke City's decision to let Tyrese Campbell depart upon the expiry of his contract last summer looks like a poor one with each passing week that the 25-year-old impresses at promotion-chasing Sheffield United, and the Potters have to avoid letting a potentially similar situation play out this summer as youngster Emre Tezgel nears the end of his existing deal in ST4.

Campbell had spent six years in the Potters' first-team prior to his exit at the end of last season, and while he had always struggled to fully realise his potential at the bet365 Stadium, it was widely accepted among supporters and those at the club that he could be a real game-changer and Championship standout when fit and on form.

Stoke decided against offering him revised terms last summer, and after a few months weighing up his options, the versatile attacker made the move to recently-relegated Sheffield United in the hope of a fresh start and a new challenge. He has proven himself as one of the most deadly forwards in the second-tier so far this season with the Blades.

There will be an inevitable tinge of regret in ST4 about his departure, but the club have the chance to put it right with another huge decision that they need to make in the coming months. 19-year-old Emre Tezgel is coming to the end of his contract at his boyhood club, and the Potters have to make sure he is still at the club come July.

Tezgel is, of course, a few years behind his former teammate in his development, but his talent and potential to be great is obvious, and Stoke do not want to be left reeling if he leaves and then smashes it elsewhere in the years to come like Campbell has done in the Steel City.

Tyrese Campbell has proven his Stoke doubters wrong at Sheffield United

Campbell joined Stoke as a 16-year-old from Manchester City's youth set-up in 2016, and he was the Potters' longest-serving player by the time he left last summer with a record of 36 goals and 21 assists in 164 appearances across seven seasons in both the Premier League and the Championship.

His most prolific league campaign in a Stoke shirt was in 2019/20, as he netted nine goals in 33 appearances and scored a goal every 180 minutes, on average. The 25-year-old battled injury issues in the years that followed, however, and became somewhat of a divisive figure among Stoke supporters, with debates over his attitude, fitness, and impact on the team.

It did not come as a huge shock to see him depart last summer, despite a strong end to the season in which he netted two in his final two games for the club. Then-Potters boss Steven Schumacher admitted that it was a "difficult decision" not to offer him a new deal, but in hindsight, the club should have at least given him the chance to stay rather than sever ties themselves to let him join a different second-tier side.

Campbell made the move to Sheffield United on a three-year contract in August, and after a slow start to life in South Yorkshire he finally bagged his first goal for the Blades in October, in a 2-0 home win against Stoke, no less. His celebration aimed towards the travelling away supporters was likely indicative of his feelings towards how his time in ST4 had ended just months earlier.

That strike sparked him to go on a hot streak of five goals and one assist in his next seven Championship outings, including a winner in his first Steel City Derby in November. Chris Wilder's decision to sign him has been vindicated with strong performances and a great goal return that has seen him contribute earnestly to their promotion efforts over the last few months.

He suffered a hamstring injury that saw him sidelined for a month around Christmas, and then found it tough to get back into the starting 11 after the turn of the year, but he has now played from the off in all of their last six outings and looks to have found his scoring touch once again.

Campbell has netted in four of his last five Championship appearances as United look to secure an immediate promotion back to the Premier League. He also provided an assist to Rhian Brewster in the return derby fixture against Sheffield Wednesday to help the Blades emerge victorious once again.

It is no surprise to see him sitting top of the second-tier for goals scored per 90 minutes this season, with 10 strikes from just 16 starts and 1,290 minutes of game-time. Stoke will wonder where they might have been had they offered Campbell the chance to stay at the club this season, with the 25-year-old now well on his way back to playing Premier League football.

The Potters must avoid a similar situation with Emre Tezgel as his contract expires

Burton-born Tezgel has been highly rated for a number of years as an academy striker, and became the youngest player to ever play for Stoke when he made his senior debut in January 2022 at 16 years and 112 days old.

He also reportedly attracted attention from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea for his impressive outings at youth level, but now, just a few years on, he is rapidly coming to the end of his contract at his boyhood club this summer.

The England youth international went on to feature six times for the first team across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, but his progress soon became stop-start due to persistent muscle issues and the club's subsequent reluctance to push him too far into men's football at such a young age.

Tezgel returned to action for the Stoke under-21s last season after a recurring injury had kept him sidelined, and joined MK Dons on loan in the January window to help with their play-off push, where he made just five league starts in his 17 appearances for the club but registered three goals and assists each under Mike Williamson in a decent return for his first real foray into men's football.

Off the back of that impressive spell, he fully broke into the Potters' senior squad earlier this season and began to net at senior level consistently for the first time in his short career, with his first goal for the club coming in the EFL Cup first round against Carlisle United, and his second the opener in a 5-0 thrashing of Middlesbrough in the next round.

Despite being handed starts in each of Stoke's first two league games of the campaign, against Coventry and Watford under Steven Schumacher, he found minutes a lot harder to come by under Narcis Pelach, and has featured just four times under Mark Robins so far. The 19-year-old has failed to even feature in the Potters' matchday squad in any of their last five outings amid their battle to survive.

Robins has seen fit to allow him to play with the under-21's once again alongside Stoke's out-of-favour and recovering first-team players, due to his lack of minutes in months gone by, and Tezgel has proven that he is well beyond that level with eight goals in three Premier League 2 appearances.

It is clear that he is ready for senior football, but whether he will even play for Stoke again remains to be seen. No new reports have surfaced over recent months that he is set to sign a new contract, which points to a bigger likelihood of an exit in June as he potentially looks to take on a new challenge and further his development elsewhere.

Stoke would no doubt like to keep Tezgel regardless of his lack of impact on Championship football so far, as he clearly has the talent to go a long way in the game in the future.

They should definitely offer him a new contract this summer to avoid a similar situation to that of Campbell, because then at least whether he wants to stay at the bet365 Stadium would be in his own hands, and the club can say that they tried their best to keep hold of him, regardless of his decision.