Stoke City Set to Offer Club Captain Ryan Shawcross a New Contract

Ryan Shawcross is set to be offered a new contract that will extend his stay at Stoke City beyond next summer, a report in the ?The Telegraph confirmed on Tuesday. 

The 29-year-old’s future had previously been seen as a source of much trepidation amongst Stoke City fans due to manager Mark Hughes’ previous revelation that there has been no negotiations thus far regarding Shawcross’ future, who has now been at the club for a decade and only has 12 months left on his contract. 

However, manager Mark Hughes was quoted yesterday saying: “Clearly we haven’t started talks. I don’t think we as a club enter into negotiations sooner than 12 months from the end. Some clubs do it when players have got two years left, and we don’t seem to do that.

“There’s not an issue, not from our point of view. We certainly want to keep Ryan here if we can.

“We don’t usually enter into negotiations until there are 12 months to go. Sometimes that can help the players, because sometimes more power goes to the player the closer you get to the end. There are two ways to look at it.”

Hughes’s quotes strongly hint at a potential deal being on the table for his club captain this summer. 

This will certainly alleviate some fans’ fears of a possible exit for their stalwart defender, due to rumours of interest from Newcastle United circling, as they look to bolster their recently promoted squad with Premier League talent. 

However, Shawcross is expected to sign to the new deal, and Stoke do not anticipate any problems with keeping him at the club. Shawcross has made over 300 appearances for Stoke following his £1m move from Manchester United in January 2008, and will now look to build on that number for the Potters.