Stoke City’s top 10 most valuable academy graduates right now (Ranked)

FLW reveals Stoke City’s top ten most valuable academy graduates.

•  Stoke City are hoping that their academy starlets can help propel them into the top half of the Championship this season.
•  The club has made significant changes both behind the scenes and on the pitch in preparation for their sixth season in the second tier.
•  Stoke’s top ten most valuable academy graduates include Thibaud Verlinden, Tom Edwards, Emre Tezgel, Tyrese Campbell, and Ben Brereton Diaz.
• Stoke City will be hoping that academy starlets will help the club break into the top half of the Championship this coming season.

  The Potters have had a tough time since dropping into the second tier five years ago, finishing between 14th and 16th every season. However, their sixth campaign will hopefully be different, as significant changes have been made both behind the scenes and on the pitch.

  New faces to have come through the door at the Bet365 Stadium are up into double figures. Neil has bought in a mixture of proven Championship quality like Ben Pearson and Daniel Johnson, young loanees including Ki-Jana Hoever and Chiquinho, as well as overseas wildcards in Ryan Mmaee and Andre Vidigal.

  Throughout pre-season, minutes were handed to the new signings, as well as young prospects from the academy, who the gaffer will be wanting to expose to more first team football this term.

  Emre Tezgel has been the name on many lips over the last 18 months.

  One star that has shone brightly this season is Sol Sidibe. The son of City legend Mamady has impressed in the midfield, and certainly has a bright future ahead of him.

  With that latter topic in mind, we ranked Stoke’s top ten most valuable academy graduates.

  All figures are according to Transfermarkt.

  10. Thibaud Verlinden – €700k

  

  Thibaud Verlinden is a name that will bring back many fond, yet frustrating, memories for Stoke supporters. The young prodigy navigated his way through the academy set-up, exciting many along the way.

  Upon playing for the first team, he quickly became a popular figure amongst the fanbase. However, his performances never really lived up to the hype and Verlinden was shipped to various destinations on loan.

   

  There looked to be a glimmer of hope for the tricky Belgian winger, as he scored thrice on a half-season loan spell in Bolton, but again, he failed to produce in red and white before moving to Holland. Overall, he played 13 times for the Potters, failing to register a single goal.

  Now he plies his trade with Beerschot back in his home country, where he is looking to find form.

  9. Curtis Nelson – €1m

  

  The first seven-figure asset that makes this list is Curtis Nelson, an experienced central defender that has just moved to Derby County on a free transfer.

  He may have not graduated from City’s academy, but Nelson still qualifies for this list due to his time playing for the U18s side in 2010.

  The then 17-year-old subsequently moved to Plymouth, where he would go on to make 246 first team appearances.

  8. Connor Taylor – €1.2m

  The first of three players at this price point is Connor Taylor. The 21-year-old is a centre back that has just left the Potteries in search of regular first team football. Taylor spent the entirety of the 21/22 on loan at Bristol Rovers and has recently returned on a permanent deal.

  

  The youngster struggled to hold down a place in Neil’s starting XI last season, playing just 18 times.

  The Potters have bolstered defensive options to further know Taylor down the pecking order.

  Who knows, this could be one that the Stoke hierarchy come to regret in the coming years.

  7. Tom Edwards – €1.2m

  Tom Edwards had a tough start to first team life at Stoke. His debut came at the home of eventual champions Manchester City in 2017, where his side were dismantled 7-2, and he was withdrawn on a stretcher.

  Edwards returned from injury raring to go but was quickly turned on by the City faithful after question marks over his attitude were sparked.

  

  He was loaned to Barnsley last term before being given a chance back at Stoke in pre-season. Eventually he was deemed to be off the pace and subsequently loaned to fellow Championship outfit Huddersfield Town.

  6. Emre Tezgel – €1.2m

  Emre Tezgel is an exciting talent and has the potential to go far in the game.

  In recent times, however, he has been bound to the treatment room. After being sidelined for the latter periods of last season, the club’s youngest ever first team player came back for pre-season, where he was dealt another injury blow.

  

  The length of his absence is unknown, but once he is back fit and given adequate game time, he could quickly become one of the division’s elite, and skyrocket up this list.

  5. Joe Bursik – €1.5m

  Another exciting talent, this time from the other end of the pitch, is Joe Bursik. The goalkeeper was Stoke’s number one for just under a year, before moving to Belgian side Club Brugge.

  He also had a chance in the England youth set-up, playing alongside the likes of Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden. He was selected as a substitute when the latter captained his country to victory at the U17s World Cup in 2017.

  

  Since his switch to Brugge, the 23-year-old’s fortunes have turned. In pre-season, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury, and will see him sidelined for some time.

  Thankfully, because of his age, Bursik will have plenty of time after recovering to try and fulfill his significant potential.

  4. Daniel Bachmann – €2.5m

  Daniel Bachmann is a bit of a peculiar case. He went from not making a single senior appearance for Stoke to playing Premier League football.

  

  He was never given a chance during his five years in the Potteries. However, following his move to Watford, and subsequent loan to Kilmarnock, he was finally given the chance to test his skills at Championship level.

  He broke out in the 20/21 campaign and quickly clutched onto the number one spot. He played 23 games and kept 12 clean sheets as the Hornets were promoted to the top-flight.

  3. Tyrese Campbell – €3m

  

  Tyrese Campbell has become a marquee figure at Stoke in recent years, despite being just 23-years-old.

  He joined from Manchester City in 2016, and quickly adapted to life in both the U18s and U23s, scoring 29 goals in 48 games.

  This impressive tally quickly caught the eye of then manager Paul Lambert, who was desperate to keep his struggling Stoke side in the Premier League. Campbell made four substitute appearances, the first of which came against Leicester in February.

  Following relegation to the Championship, the youngster was slowly integrated into the side, but once he found his form, he looked unstoppable. In the 20/21 season, he netted six and assisted five in 13 league starts, before sustaining a knee injury that kept him out for almost a year.

  Whilst still impressing, Campbell has not quite hit the same heights since returning, but still possesses the talent that could see him become a Premier League player sooner rather than later.

  2. Ben Brereton Diaz – €16m

  

  Despite not graduating from City’s academy, Ben Brereton Diaz still qualifies for this list after playing in the club’s youth set-up between 2013 and 2015.

  He then moved to Nottingham Forest, and eventually Blackburn Rovers, where he impressed most. Diaz scored 47 times in almost five years for the Lancashire side.

  This summer, he completed a move to Spanish giants Villarreal after his contract expired.

  Despite playing for England’s U19s, the 24-year-old is now representing his Chilean ancestors. He has impressed in South America, averaging a goal every three games for the national team.

  However, he still does not take the number one spot.

  1. Nathan Collins – €22m

  

  Stoke’s most valuable academy graduate is new Brentford and Republic of Ireland defender, Nathan Collins.

  The Potters’ most lucrative export played 47 times and became the club’s youngest ever captain in the 19/20 season.

  In the summer of 2021, he joined Burnley, leaving the club in favour of Wolves following their relegation. An impressive campaign for the Old Gold then compelled Brentford to splash the cash on the 22-year-old.

  Collins has also enjoyed a fruitful Ireland career to date. He made his senior debut for his country in October 2021, entering the fray late on in a 4-0 victory over Qatar.

  Collins is still incredibly young, so has the potential to see his transfer value rise even further.