Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan is wanted by Aston Villa.
Republic of Ireland’s Glenn Whelan in action with Austria’s Zlatko Junuzovic
Stoke City chief executive Tony Scholes has told the Stoke Sentinel that he thinks Glenn Whelan has been ‘incredible’ for the club as speculation surrounds his future.
The Potters swooped to sign Whelan from Sheffield Wednesday in January 2008, and he has been a mainstay of the Stoke side from their promotion to the present day.
Whelan, now 33, has been key under both Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes, whilst racking up almost 350 appearances for Stoke, becoming a dependable player in the middle of the park.
Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan in action with Tottenham’s Victor Wanyama
Whelan is often criticised by fans, but he has been a great servant for Stoke – and he could end up leaving the bet365 Stadium during this summer’s transfer window.
Stoke swooped to sign another veteran midfielder earlier this summer by snatching Darren Fletcher away from West Bromwich Albion, and that could have a huge impact on Whelan’s future.
Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan in action with Everton’s Morgan Schneiderlin
As reported by Sky Sports earlier this month, Championship outfit Aston Villa offered £500,000 to sign Whelan, but that bid was rejected.
The Daily Mail now add that Stoke want £1million for Whelan and haven’t yet received a new bid from Villa, with Derby County now joining the race for his signature.
Now, Stoke’s chief executive Tony Scholes has told the Stoke Sentinel that he thinks Whelan has been ‘incredible’ and a ‘magnificent servant’ for the Potters, but couldn’t exactly guarantee Whelan’s long-term future lies with Stoke as speculation surrounds a possible move.
Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan in action with West Bromwich Albion’s Claudio Yacob
“Glenn is one of our players who’s done extremely well again,” said Scholes. “He has been, and is, a magnificent servant of the club and everybody connected with the club thinks the world of Glenn and what he has done. You just need to look at his record. His record over nine-and-a-half years at this club has just been incredible.”
“You could almost argue that Glenn goes down pound-for-pound as one of our best ever signings, given the appearances he’s made, and every summer we bring players in and Glenn maintains his position. He’s been a magnificent servant and I’m sure will remain so unless and until that situation changes,” he added.
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