Tyrese Campbell reacts to Stoke City decision on Steven Fletcher and James Chester | OneFootball

Stoke City confirmed the departures of multiple senior players on Tuesday afternoon as Michael O’Neill looks to reshape his squad ahead of the 2022-23 Championship season.

The Potters finished in a mid-table position once again in the second tier and there will no doubt be a host of fresh faces arriving at the Bet365 Stadium as the club look to get back to the Premier League as soon as they can.

To bring new players in though, some faces have to depart and the exodus of out of contract players have begun.

Quiz: Which club did Stoke City sign these 24 players from in the 2000s?

1 of 24

Tony Dorigo

Blackburn Rovers Nottingham Forest Derby County Wrexham

Whilst the likes of Joe Allen will be offered new deals, four individuals have been informed that they will not be kept on beyond this summer.

They are all veterans as well in the form of Tom Ince, Tommy Smith, James Chester and Steven Fletcher, with Ince being the longest-serving having signed for the Potters in 2018.

Smith arrived from Huddersfield Town the following year whilst Chester and Fletcher were 2020 signings by O’Neill, and via his Instagram account, young Stoke striker Tyrese Campbell has issued a parting message to the latter duo.

The Verdict

Whilst Fletcher and Chester gave a fine service to Stoke for two years, it’s probably an indication of the direction that O’Neill wants to move in.

He has enough experience within his contracted players, such as Nick Powell, Phil Jagielka and others, to work alongside the young crop of talent he is developing.

Neither Chester or Fletcher started particularly regularly though for Stoke this past season – the former with 17 Championship appearances and Fletcher with 35 outings, but a lot of those coming from the bench.

They will move on with the best wishes of Stoke fans, but they could make way for some exciting new younger additions this summer.