Hughes anticipates Stoke sales

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is expecting members of his first-team squad to leave the Britannia Stadium in the transfer window.

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes is expecting members of his first-team squad to leave the Britannia Stadium in the transfer window.

Hughes has already brought three players to the club already in recent weeks, including Mame Biram Diouf, Steve Sidwell and Phil Bardsley.

That leaves Stoke with 27 first-team players currently at the club and competition for places rife.

The former Manchester City boss concedes the bloated nature of his squad makes departures likely, though he is not predicting a fire sale.

“It’s a balance,” he told The Stoke Sentinel.

“Sometimes players recognise where they are in the group and make the decision themselves that they need to move on to progress their career.

“Some will have those conversations with their people and with their families.

“I don’t anticipate a lot of players leaving but some will feel their futures lie elsewhere.”