The ins and outs of a summer of hard work

PETE SMITH ANALYSES HOW THE DEALS WERE DONE AS STOKE EMBARKED UPON RESHAPING THEIR SQUAD IN THE OFF-SEASON

- 

Gooch, Jordan Thompson and Michael Rose were released given that, well, they had not been available enough.

Thompson is the only one of the four to stay in the Championship but he has been the treatment room so far at Preston. Stevens was injured in a trial game at Chesterfield while Gooch and Rose have gone to Leagues One and Two respectively.

It was clear that there would need to be a sale to help fund any substantial rebuilding and there was expectation that Wouter Burger, who had been denied a move to FC Midtjylland in January, would have a suitor.

That came with Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, who paid between €7-8 million plus add-ons in July.

Bae Junho's representatives were publicly exploring options too. There was late talk of interest from Stuttgart but no clubs were calling up Stoke and Junho, still only 22, will hopefully be better off now the window has shut and he can focus entirely on playing.

Nothing emerged for Million Manhoef nor Junior Tchamadeu and it was apparent all through the window that Viktor Johansson was happy and not thinking about leaving.

It was a puzzler and panic when Fabrizio Romano suddenly claimed interest from West Ham - but that seemed like a mix-up between John Victor and Viktor Johansson.

West Ham-linked John ended up going from Botafogo to Nottingham Forest and Johansson, thankfully, stayed put.

Sorba Thomas was first in through the door - yet it had still taken weeks to get to that point.