POTTERS DUO TO BE PART OF PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR
NICK Powell and Mario Vrancic have triggered contract extensions to stay at Stoke City for another season.
The club has confirmed the pair are following in the wake of Jacob Brown, Jordan Thompson and Phil Jagielka to extend their stays at the bet365 Stadium.
Talks are ongoing with captain Joe Allen as he weighs up his club future in a World Cup year amid interest from first club Swansea.
Powell, aged 28, has had a frustrating campaign dogged by three serious injuries: two quad problems and a cracked fibula. That limited him to just 14 league starts and he only finished 90 minutes on five occasions.
He had been player of the season in 2020/21, when he made 38 starts - the most of his career - and he will need to prove his fitness and durability over the next few months if he is to be the team’s talisman.
He spoke recently about changing his lifestyle to try to keep himself out of the treatment room, saying: “I felt really as good as ever from that Huddersfield game in 2020 all the way through to the broken leg.
“I work really hard to minimise the risk of muscle injuries. After meeting Nathan Jones and hearing his expectations, I told my missus that a healthy diet was a must. That was a problem for me in the past. I’m vegan now. Other than that, it’s just a case of working hard, feeling wanted and just being happy.”
He added: “I want to leave my mark at Stoke and that hasn’t happened yet in my opinion. In 10 or 20 years’ time, if people look back at the 2020s and see that my time ended where we are now, I’d feel disappointed that it finished without something great to remember.
I’d love to make a bigger impression, one that will be remembered.
“We’ve all been through a period of transition with relegation, FFP, Covid…. I don’t want my time to be associated with just that. I want there to be a time in the future where it changes for the better and I was part of something at Stoke that really mattered to people. If people say Stoke had a bad time but Nick did well, that’s not enough.”
Vrancic joined as a free agent last summer after leaving Norwich, who he twice helped win promotion to the Premier League. The 32-year-old playmaker made a bright start and ended up playing more minutes than in his previous three seasons, where he was a favourite at Carrow Road.
Stoke under-23s will tonight discover their opponents for the Premier League 2 play-off final as Wolves take on Norwich at Molineux. The final will take place at Molineux if Wolves win and at the bet365 Stadium if it’s Norwich.
Kevin Russell’s Potters made it through thanks to a 2-0 win on Sunday in front of 1,700 fans thanks to goals from Jack Griffiths and Will Goodwin.
Assistant manager Dave Hibbert said: “It’s fantastic. I’m delighted for the boys and the shift they put in. Obviously the sending off had an impact on the game but the way that the boy stayed patient and kept probing, they got the rewards in the end.”