Stoke City: 26-year-old closing in on transfer move away

The 26-year-old was one of many new faces to join the Potters last summer, and he went on to make 30 appearances in the Championship in the previous campaign.

Steven Schumacher, and it now seems a departure is on the cards, as Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio revealed that a move to Pisa is ‘close’ for the player.

It’s unclear whether this will be a permanent transfer or a loan, but either way, it will free up space and funds from the wage bill as Schumacher continues to reshape the squad ahead of his first full season in charge at the Bet365 Stadium.

Leris is capable of playing down the flanks and as a wing-back or further up the pitch, so his versatility will be missed, but he didn’t always convince in English football.

The Algerian managed just two goals and two assists in the second tier, and whilst he was by no means a poor player, he didn’t exactly make a massive contribution to what was an underwhelming season for Stoke, as they were involved in a relegation fight until a late run saw them pull clear of the bottom three.

Following on from that, you would imagine that the former Sampdoria player is looking to join a club where he can play a more prominent role.

It’s clear he wasn’t going to be a key figure under Schumacher, but Leris should get a lot of game time with Pisa, and he has enough quality to make a big impact in Serie B.

As outlined above, from Stoke’s perspective, they will be removing a wage off the books, and they will be moving on a player who wasn’t key to the plans of the boss moving forward.