“We need a clean break” – Stoke City fan pundit reacts as high-profile departure announced

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stoke City have had a busy start to the transfer window, with several new signings already confirmed through the door.

As well as that, a few departures have been announced, the latest of which saw Joe Allen reveal he would be leaving when his Potters contract expires in the coming days.

The Welsh international has been with the club since the summer of 2016 and whilst he has impressed on the whole, it’s been a tough period for the club since, which included suffering relegation from the Premier League.

With that in mind, Stoke City fan pundit Ben Rowley told FLW that Allen’s exit is the best move for all parties as Michael O’Neill looks to lower the average age in his squad.

“Allen will be missed by the fans, players and coaches alike. He was a great footballer, a top professional by all accounts and he was one of our remaining players from our Premier League days but, if anything, I think that’s the reason why we had to let him go.

“From Stoke’s point of view, we need a clean break from those days and we need a young, hungry squad to get us back to the Premier League and Joe Allen no longer fits that bill. If anything he’s going to decline and with the wages he’s on, one of the top earners in the Championship, he now frees up a lot of wages to allow us to recruit younger players in his position among other areas too.

“As much as fans will have appreciated his time here on the whole, he didn’t have a great time here in terms of the trajectory of the club and I’m hoping that redistributing those