The Stoke City youngsters who will be eyeing a breakthrough season in 22/23

Stoke City are on the cusp of a potential rebuild this summer, with a plethora of high-earning players out of contract and six loanees set to return to their parent clubs.

We still don’t know if Michael O’Neill will be in charge either, with the ex-Northern Ireland boss clinging on to his job for dear life after a poor run of form saw the Potters slip out of play-off contention in the Championship.

The Staffordshire outfit have not progressed under O’Neill since he guided them away from relegation trouble in 2019-20 – one thing he has done though is give young players a chance.

Tyrese Campbell, Nathan Collins, Tyrese Campbell and D’Margio Wright-Phillips have all flourished under his guidance – let’s look at two players who could follow in their footsteps next season.

Emre Tezgel

Despite being just 16 years of age, Tezgel is being courted by some massive clubs which only shows you what kind of talent he is.

Even when he was 15 years old last season, Tezgel was a regular for the Potters’ under-18’s side and he’s stepped up to playing under-23’s football this season as well, scoring twice at that level in seven outings.

O’Neill clearly rates Tezgel, who is of Turkish descent, as he gave him two opportunities this season in the FA Cup against Leyton Orient and Wigan Athletic, and if he continues his current progression then there may be first-team opportunities in the 2022-23 season.

That’s if a Premier League club don’t snap him up though, with Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly interested in him back in October.

Connor Taylor

Stoke plucked Taylor from local non-league side Stafford Rangers in 2019 and after being a regular for the under-23’s last season, the Potters sent the 20-year-old on his first EFL loan to