If you already think that in-the-know social media accounts should be taken with a big punch of salt then this might need a shovel of the white stuff.
But, with two signings already in the bag in Steven Schumacher and Jon Walters’ first summer transfer window at Stoke City, the huge database, algorithms and AI models behind Football Manager have tried to predict what might happen next.
Yes, that’s right. It’s not to be taken seriously apart from having probably a more comprehensive grasp of who are what is within Stoke’s reach over the next couple of months than most of us could conjure up without spending days and nights scouting matches and reading reports. It’s just a bit of fun but this is what a simulation of the summer of 2024 has thrown up for the Potters.
Brace yourself but the headline transfer is the departure of Bae Junho, stolen by Mainz for the unlikely sum of £3.9 million. That might just about fund his left leg after an encouraging debut season in England, capped by a breakthrough into the South Korea senior national team.
Michael Rose is on the virtual move too, heading to Huddersfield Town and League One for a fee that could rise to £110,000 while young winger Nikola Jojic is shipped out on loan to Bolton Wanderers.
So where will the digital Schumacher, Walters and head of recruitment Lee Darnbrough spend the cash? There are three seven-figure signings, including £3.4m rising to £4.9m on Mykola Kukharevych, who has had a difficult first year at Swansea. It would be unlikely for Swansea to nearly double their money on 22-year-old who only made 10 substitute appearances in the Championship, scoring one well-taken goal against Millwall. He has previously shown signs of promise on loans at Hibernian and OH Leuven.
Stoke spend £3m on Jamie Cumming, the 24-year-old keeper who spent last year on loan from Chelsea at Oxford United, helping win promotion from League One. He had spent the previous couple of campaigns on loan at MK Dons and has previously been borrowed by Stevenage and Gillingham.
