EMRE COMMITS TO CITY
Potters manage to stave off interest in top talent to keep Tezgel at the club for the long term
STOKE City are celebrating a major coup as England youth striker Emre Tezgel signs as a scholar and pledges his long-term future to the club.
Tezgel has agreed a three-year contract to come into effect when he turns 17 in September, despite significant interest from Leeds United.
The Forsbrook front man, who has only just finished his GCSES at Painsley, is already in the record books as Stoke’s youngest ever player. He took Peter Bullock’s long-standing record when he came off the bench against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup in January.
He has been at Stoke since the age of nine and his scoring exploits for club and country through the youth ranks have seen him come to wider attention.
Stoke have pulled out all the stops to make sure he knows he has a clear career pathway by staying put and now he can start training fulltime at Clayton Wood, ready for the next big stage of his development.
Michael O’neill said: “We are thrilled that Emre has pledged his future to the club, especially as there was real interest in him from elsewhere.
“He’s a player of immense potential and from talking to him and his parents it is clear they feel he is in the best possible place to progress and look to fulfil that potential.”
Tezgel has built a reputation for his striker’s instinct in the penalty area in terms of movement and finishing. He has been tested ahead of his age group as he has come through the ranks and was already leading the line for the under-23s last season as they reached the Premier League 2 play-off final.
He was still eligible for the under-16s and scored 12 goals in nine league games for the 18s and another four for Kevin Russell’s 23s.
But clubs cannot tie players to professional contracts until they turn 17 and rivals, particularly in a higher division, can try to snag a bargain. Compensation set fees are set in the Elite Player Performance Plan, or clubs can go to a tribunal or agree a price.
Chelsea have been long-time suitors and Leeds have the pull of the Premier League.
But Stoke, who lost Mo Sankoh to Stuttgart at 16 in 2020, have made certain that Tezgel knows how much he is valued.
O’neill and Andy Cousins, youth coaches Russell, Dave Hibbert and Rich Walker, head of football administration Chris Laird, academy director Gareth Owen and joint-chairman John Coates have all played key parts in convincing him his future is best served in the Potteries.
Owen said: “Emre has been in our youth system for seven years - he’s happy here and enjoys the work that we do both in the academy and at first team level and he can see a pathway for his future career.”
Tezgel has previously trained with Stoke on release from school, three days a week. He had to fit revision around matches in the spring – playing in the play-off final hours after one exam, with another the following morning.
He is now expected to join Stoke on a training camp in Ireland next week. O’neill has been clear that his progress will not be rushed but nor will he hold him back as he watches how quickly he continues to develop over the next few weeks and months.