Stoke part company with head of recruitment Dublin

Jared Dublin had similar roles to his head of recruitment post at Stoke with Sheffield United and Reading.

Stoke City have parted company with their head of recruitment Jared Dublin.

Dublin, 32, joined the Potters from Reading in June 2023, having previously spent almost six years at Sheffield United.

But, despite making 25 signings, Stoke had a poor season, finishing 17th in the Championship.

Manager Alex Neil was sacked in December - and his replacement Steven Schumacher only kept the Potters up by winning their last three games.

“We are thankful to Jared for his efforts in the role during the past year," said Stoke sporting director Jonathan Walters.

“Work to identify a successor will commence immediately and we will inform our fans once an appointment is made.

“I can assure supporters that our player recruitment will continue to move forward during the process of making an appointment.”

Walters became Stoke sporting director in March following the sacking of his predecessor Ricky Martin.

Edwards tops list of nine players to leave Potters

Stoke have announced the departure of nine players, most notably full-back Tom Edwards, who has been released after coming to the end of the four-and-a-half year deal he signed in October 2019.

Edwards has not played for the Potters since January 2020 and, following loan moves to Fleetwood and New York Red Bulls, has been out of action since getting injured while on loan again at Barnsley at the start of 2023.

He hoped to get back involved again this season but instead spent another season out on loan at Hudderfield.

“In Tom, we are parting ways with a player who has experienced our pathway in its entirety, having joined as a nine-year-old," said Stoke sporting director Jonathan Walters, who was briefly his team-mate at the end of the 2016-17 season.

Striker D’Margio Wright-Phillips, grandson of Arsenal great Ian Wright, has also been let go, having failed to build upon the exciting start he made when he first broke through under Michael O'Neill two seasons ago.

Goalkeeper Blondy Nna Noukeu, midfielders Tom Sparrow, Ben Kershaw and Kahrel Reddin and three players yet to make their first-team debut - midfielder Sonny Singh and teenage full-backs Tom Curl and Ian Kamga - have also not been offered new terms.

But Matthew Baker, 21, who had been on loan at Newport County, and David Okagbue, 20, who was on loan at Walsall, have both been offered extensions, while teenager Jack Griffiths, 18, has been offered new terms.