Exclusive: Stoke chief Walters eyes second summer signing with move for Fleetwood skipper
At Stoke City, Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu is desired.
TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal that Stoke is one of several teams considering a move for highly-rated Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu, a midfielder for Fleetwood Town, during this summer’s transfer window.
During Fleetwood’s dismal season, which ended with their relegation from League One, Sarpong-Wiredu was one of their bright spots.
After moving from Colchester United to Fleetwood in 2022, the adaptable midfielder has made 86 appearances for the team.
Currently, he is eligible to play football for both Ghana and England on an international level.
Sarpong-Wiredu has committed to Fleetwood until June 2026 after accepting a contract extension in January.
Late in January, he was given the captain’s armband, and he was the focal point of Fleetwood’s defence for the majority of the second half of the year.
Fleetwood face a battle to retain their skipper
After being demoted, Fleetwood knows they will have to fight to retain their captain because a number of Championship and League One teams are considering bids for Sarpong-Wiredu.
This season in League One, the 24-year-old made 36 appearances for the Cod Army, tallying two assists and scoring three goals.
Since Sarpong-Wiredu worked with him as Fleetwood’s technical director prior to moving to Stoke, TEAMtalk knows that Stoke’s director of football Jon Walters is a huge supporter of the midfielder.
Stoke is reportedly interested in Sarpong-Wiredu in order to give their midfield more physicality.
Given his versatility as a right-sided midfielder and his ability to play centrally in defence and midfield, Sarpong-Wiredu is also a wonderful asset to any manager.
In an attempt to improve the team’s midfield engine room after a disappointing season at the bet365 Stadium, Walters is making a significant squad change this summer.
Steven Schumacher took over as manager of Stoke barely over a week after Alex Neil was fired in December, after the team had narrowly avoided relegation this season.
After confirming the signing of custodian Viktor Johansson from Rotherham United, the Potters have begun their recruitment process for the upcoming campaign.
At the end of their loan terms at Stoke City, Daniel Iversen, Ki-Jana Hoever, Luke McNally, Luke Cundle, and Sead Hakšabanović will go back to their parent clubs.
The departures of Blondy Nna Noukeu, Ian Kamga, Tom Edwards, D’Margio Wright-Philips, Tom Sparrow, Ben Kershaw, Kahrel Reddin, Sonny Singh, and Tom Curl have significantly reduced the size of Stoke City’s roster. When their contracts expired, the nine players that were released were not given the opportunity to sign new agreements.
