NICK POWELL is leaving Stoke at the end of his lucrative contract.
Talented attacker Powell wants a new challenge after his four-year spell at the club.
And he will be one of the better free agents on the market.
The former Manchester United prospect, 29, was on a big deal at Stoke.
His exit will give Potters boss Alex Neil extra space in the budget to sign a couple of new faces.
Neil has stated that Stoke will concentrate on “educated gambles” in the upcoming summer transfer window.
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The Scottish tactician outlined his plans ahead of Monday’s Championship clash at Watford.
Neil said: “There are going to have to be some educated gambles.
“There might be a certain quality we can acquire we need to take an element of risk on.
“If we were to take a hard line on that and say everyone is going to have to have played 90 per cent of games completed or we don’t sign them… I don’t think we’re at that stage yet.
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“That might be in a couple of windows when we have the basis of a core squad and we’re adding the final touches. We’re not there at the moment.
“We need to get to a point where the fundamentals are in place and know this is the group we’re going to go forward with in the next two or three seasons.
“I think that is what the club needs. It hasn’t had that for a number of years.
“Then we can push that on and start to add the bits around it.
“Preferably we want players who don’t get injured and recruitment is a big part in that but there will be a few educated gambles, I imagine, in there.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
