Stoke City’s wonderkid is the Premier League 2 top goalscorer, he’s only played 5 games out of 20

Add as preferred source on Google

Stoke City have had a pretty miserable time of it since returning to the Championship in 2018.

The Potters haven’t ever threatened promotion, despite the initial years of parachute payments, and now find themselves closer than ever to relegation.

Mark Robins took over in January, but the ex-Coventry boss has struggled to get the club clear of trouble.

They’re currently sitting in 20th place, just two points above the relegation zone, with five games to go.

Opta has Stoke down as having a relatively slim chance of being relegated, with 48 points being seen as enough to stay up.

They’re currently on 42, so just two wins should hopefully ensure survival for the Potters.

This is despite Stoke City being told relegation to League One could actually be a good thing.

It’s hoped that a full pre-season with Robins in charge could help build Stoke back up and reverse the slump, and there’s definitely hope to be had with one of their most exciting youth prospects.

Emre Tezgel is Premier League 2 top goalscorer having played just five games

Stoke City’s 19-year-old wonderkid Emre Tezgel has managed to score an impressive 11 goals in just five games in the Premier League 2.

He jointly holds the top goalscorer spot with Chelsea’s Donnell McNeilly, who’s played 17 games – 12 more than Tezgel.

The striker also won Premier League 2’s March Player of the Month for his efforts.

It’s an incredibly impressive record for Stoke City’s Under 21s in the Professional Development League, and the club will be hoping it’s a sign of things to come for the teenager.

Tezgel became the youngest ever Stoke player to make his senior debut at just 16 when he played against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup in 2022.

He’s been compared to Harry Kane by Michael Owen, who praised his movement, finishing and ability to hold the ball up.

The striker has played 12 times for Stoke in the Championship this season, though just two of those games were starts.

Though he’s goalless in the Championship so far, he scored in two of the three EFL Cup games he played in for the Potters this season, bagging in wins against Carlisle United and Middlesbrough.

This followed a decent loan spell at MK Dons last season, where the youngster helped them into the League Two play-offs with three goals and three assists in 15 games.

Fans want Stoke City to offer Emre Tezgel a new contract

Despite Emre Tezgel’s Premier League 2 heroics, the 19-year-old’s contract is currently set to expire in the summer.

There’s not been any news on a renewal from the club, and fans are calling for something to happen sooner rather than later.

One fan’s Twitter poll saw 88% of Potters fans in favour of a new contract being offered.

One supporter believes that relegation shouldn’t stop the club from securing a new deal for the striker: “If we go down or not I would personally definitely be offering a new one. Should we go down it’s a no brainer in my opinion.”

However, another Potter thinks the club have hampered Tezgel’s progress: “Ruined his development this year with no loaning him out, too good for the under 21s but when he’s with the first team you notice he’s not ready.”

Mark Robins laid down the gauntlet to the 19-year-old after his impressive performances in the development league.

“He’s playing at that level of football and he’s better than that level of football – but to score against anybody and to score five goals is no easy feat.”

“He’s managed to do that and score a hat-trick the week before and he’s doing what’s required of him,” he continued. “Now, obviously, he’s got to oust other individuals to get involved with the first team. At the end of the day, he’s not doing himself any harm whatsoever with the goals he’s scoring.”

“It is different in the Championship but he’s played in the Championship, he’s got some experience, and obviously I’ll consider that when I come to select squads.”

Tezgel is definitely someone to keep an eye on, come the end of the season.