O’neill keen to be the Premier League loan arranger for City

STOKE City have already been in touch with Premier League clubs about loan deals for next season – but expect to have to wait on a final answer.

Financial Fair Play rules and a bloated squad – including high earners who are out on loan – will limit Stoke’s room to manoeuvre in the transfer market.

But they hope and expect there to be more targets available on a loan basis, having seen the number of young top-flight players lent to Championship clubs significantly down this term compared to normal.

O’neill said: “The loan market is obviously there to use.

“The loan market was difficult this season because Premier League players tended to keep bigger squads due to covid.

“They weren’t loaning out as many players as they did in previous years.

“The problem with the loan market is that you don’t get an early decision. If we go to Manchester United or Everton or someone like that and ask if we can have this young player, they are never going to say yes on day one. They are going to see how their squad develops over the summer.

“We have been in contact with Premier League clubs about players.

“Equally, these squads will be decimated in pre-season because players will be away for the European Championships. They will keep their own players at their training grounds for longer.

“You will have a dilemma about whether you hold off in the hope you get a young player on loan against one that you can possibly sign on a permanent basis.

“That’s the dilemma we will face this window. Hopefully we will get those decisions right.”

Stoke brought in Rhys Norrington davies, from Sheffield United,rabbi Matondo, from Schalke and Jack Clarke, from Tottenham, on halfseason loan deals in January.

But overall, only 34 players aged 22 or under have dropped into the Championship from the Premier League this season, compared with 44 in 2019/20. In particular the big six – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd and Spurs – have let out just 13 players to second-tier clubs, down from 24.

Stoke are also expected to do outgoing business during the summer and Joe Allen became the latest to be linked with a move away. But O’neill is bemused by gossip.

“We have to accept (speculation) as part of the game,” he said. “I ignore it to be honest. It’s not like it means anything until there is a firm offer on the table from a club for one of our players.

“We have a situation when we have 32 players under contract and 18 of those are coming into the last year of their contract as well.

“That in itself changes the dynamic for players who have come here on longer-term deals and are now in the final year of their contract.”

He added: “We won’t be giving players away. We may have to trade at times but you can’t sell unless someone is willing to buy you.

“It’s not something we’re going to encourage but if something happens we have to evaluate any situation or any player at this minute in time to try to freshen the squad.

“Until that happens we’re not going to be in a position to do anything and if it does happen we’ll deal with it as it comes along.”