Stoke City have seen Mark Robins' ruthless side now - he might regret one decision though | OneFootball

Robins has made a big call in releasing Jordan Thompson after five years at the club

Stoke City's recently-announced retained list made for interesting reading regarding the club's plans for the summer transfer window, and while most of their decisions seem to be the correct ones, there is one player that the Potters and Mark Robins may regret letting go in the future.

The Potters were able to seal their survival with a draw at Derby County on the final day of the Championship season last weekend, and planning has already begun for next term as they released a contract update pretty swiftly after the end of the campaign on Monday afternoon.

The main story for many Stoke supporters was that key man Lewis Baker was retained for another year, while goalkeepers Jack Bonham and Frank Fielding were also each handed one-year contract extensions.

Experienced trio Lynden Gooch, Enda Stevens and Michael Rose are set to depart after they were not offered new deals, but while those three will not be massively missed in ST4, the impending departure of Northern Ireland international midfielder Jordan Thompson has divided fans' opinions, with his longevity and versatility set to be missed next season.

Robins has made the right calls with the majority of his out-of-contract players, but the decision to let go of 28-year-old Thompson may well prove to be a mistake, depending on how the club's summer business pans out and how they then get on in the Championship in 2025/26.

Jordan Thompson has been an underrated player for Stoke over the last five years

Thompson moved to the bet365 Stadium from Blackpool in January 2020, linking up with then-Stoke boss Michael O'Neill, who he had previously played under at international level for his country.

He had built a reputation as an attacking midfielder who could also play out wide whilst with the Tangerines in League One, but joined the Potters and quickly adapted to playing a more central, defensive midfield role under O'Neill, where he has stayed in the numerous years since.

His first Potters goal was probably his most memorable of the four he netted in his time at the club, as he swept home a flowing move to put Stoke level against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup quarter-finals in December 2020.

The 28-year-old has often been used as a rotational player throughout his time at the bet365 Stadium, but he started 25 games in all competitions in 2023/24, a figure only bettered by his 29 starts in 2020/21, and was a key player in last season's run-in under Steven Schumacher as he surpassed 150 games for the club.

He looked set for an even better season this time around after a one-year extension to his contract was triggered in the summer, but the ex-Plymouth Argyle boss was sacked early on in the campaign, and he struggled for game-time under new boss Narcis Pelach before a groin issue saw him sidelined in November.

Thompson returned to fitness in February, by which time Robins was in charge after Pelach had been sacked, and he played 11 times with seven starts up to the end of the campaign.

The tough-tackling midfielder was key in Stoke's wins over Swansea City, Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City as they looked to avoid relegation, but his season ended prematurely as he was stretchered off through injury against Sheffield Wednesday on April 18.

Whether his injury issues and potentially lengthy duration of recovery have played a part in Stoke's decision to release him remains unclear, but he will officially leave ST4 at the end of June with the best wishes of all at the club as their longest-serving player with over 170 appearances in the last five years.

Thompson wanted to stay at Stoke but Mark Robins has been ruthless - his call could backfire

Many Stoke fans thought Thompson had done enough to earn at least another one-year extension to his Potters deal this summer, following his impact on the team under Robins in the last few months, but the ex-Coventry City boss has taken no prisoners with his contract decisions as he plans to majorly change his squad in the transfer window.

The Northern Ireland international admitted to StokeonTrentLive back in March that he "would like to stay at the club" and that he "love(s) being" a Stoke player, but he will now be exiting after five years soon, and is clearly dismayed by that reality.

Thompson took to his Instagram account earlier this week with a heartfelt message to Potters fans after the news of his departure was made public, with a section of his caption stating that "leaving wasn’t my decision, but that’s football."

Thompson clearly would have stayed at Stoke if he had his own way, but either the club decided against offering him a new deal, or the terms they offered him were not quite right for a player heading into their prime years and wanting to play regularly at the age of 28.

He may not have always been a regular starter for the North Staffordshire side, but it does feel like if the club are to regret any contract decision that they have made this week, going forward, it will be letting him go.

Thompson has always been a versatile, hard-working player that Stoke supporters have built a rapport with for the fact he clearly cares about the club. That is more than can be said for the majority of those that have donned the red and white stripes in the years he has played for them, and that kind of connection is always tough to replace with a new signing.

As well as that, he was a pretty regular starter towards the end of the season just gone, and with Wouter Burger potentially on his way out, Ben Pearson now 30 years of age, and Tatsuki Seko often left on the bench in favour of the Northern Irishman playing, Robins could have left himself short of a Thompson-type figure in the middle of the park.

It remains to be seen whether Stoke will live to regret or feel as if they made the wrong decision in letting him go, but while both parties go their separate ways, it seems pretty unlikely that the 28-year-old will be without a club for long, given his experience, quality and positional flexibility.