Stoke City has had a busy summer thus far, with more incomings than outgoings; nevertheless, as Mark Robins prepares his squad for a fight for the play-offs next season, exits are likely between now and the conclusion of the window.

Stoke are beginning their ninth consecutive season in the Championship, hoping to eventually break into the top half for the first time in a decade.

Since then, the Potters’ transfer activity has been subpar at best and terrible at worst, resulting in the club’s downfall and subsequent stagnation in terms of league place.

Joshua Griffiths, Djibril Soumare, Ethan Galbraith, Svante Ingelsson, and Luke Graham have all joined the Potteries this summer, as Robins tries to establish his authority over the Stoke side.

There is still much room for improvement in the Potters’ ranks, with several high earners potentially not justifying their weekly pay packet, as FLW examines the seven highest earners in the current Stoke ranks.

7Sorba Thomas

Capology projected wage – £20,000 per week

Sorba Thomas, who joined from Huddersfield Town last summer for a cost thought to be less than £2 million, had his greatest season to date in terms of goals and assists, scoring ten goals and providing 11 assists in 45 Championship appearances.

The Welsh international was by far the Potters’ greatest player last year, earning more than his estimated weekly wage of £20,000.

With two years left on his present contract, Thomas will be critical to Stoke’s promotion hopes next year, where they hope he can reproduce those numbers once more.

6Robert Bozenik

Capology projected wage – £20,000 per week

Slovakian centre-forward Robert Bozenik joined the Potteries on a free transfer from Portuguese club Boavista last summer, although he struggled in his first season in England.

It took the 26-year-old 19 games to score his first goal for Stoke, and he suffered a terrible shoulder injury shortly after scoring against Hull, leaving him out for many months beginning in January.

Now, he has taken Divin Mubama’s number 9 shirt and aims to have a lot more profitable year at the bet365 Stadium following a difficult start to life with the club, justifying his projected £20k weekly wage.

5Aaron Cresswell

Capology projected wage – £20,000 per week

Aaron Cresswell, a former Ipswich Town and West Ham United defender, shown his expertise and quality in the early portions of last season following his free transfer to Stoke last summer.

Despite injuries that limited his playing time, the Englishman performed well enough to win a new one-year contract with North Staffordshire, and he will continue to compete in that spot with Eric Bocat or any other arriving left-back.

Cresswell, 36, has made almost 600 professional appearances in his career, and his projected £20k per week wage, while high currently, reflects how well he has performed over the years.

4Ben Wilmot

Capology projected wage – £20,000 per week

Ben Wilmot’s contract was set to expire this summer, but Stoke exercised an option to extend his stay in the Potteries for another year.

The former Stevenage and Watford defender is one of the Potters’ longest-serving members, having seen multiple changes to the playing team and staff since joining from the Hornets in the summer of 2021.

Now 26, the Englishman is entering his prime years, and Stoke should consider offering him a new contract sooner rather than later to avoid losing him for free next summer, as he has made just shy of 200 appearances for the club across all competitions, more than justifying his estimated £20k per week wage.

3Sam Gallagher

Capology projected wage – £25,000 per week

Sam Gallagher joined Stoke in the summer of 2024 for about £1.5 million from Blackburn Rovers, however he has struggled to meet expectations since his arrival.

Former head coach Steven Schumacher gave Gallagher a handsome estimated £25k per week wage salary on a three-year contract, but he has only scored five goals and assisted once in 42 games across all competitions in two years at the club.

With Milan Smit and Bozenik already available up front, and Stoke wanting to recruit another centre-forward amid links to Daniel Karlsbakk, Gallagher could be moved on this summer to get his high wages off the books.

2 Viktor Johansson

Capology projected wage – £25,000 per week

Viktor Johansson, a Swedish international, has been one of the top goalkeepers in the Championship over the previous half-decade, including his stint with Rotherham United.

Johansson would join the Potteries in the summer of 2024 for a reported £750k, and he has been one of the club’s most important players since, with a shoulder injury sustained in late December last year culminating in a significant drop in form for Stoke, with the defence leaking more goals than before.

Johansson, who recently signed a new four-year contract, is now one of Stoke’s highest-paid players, earning an estimated £25k a week, and he fully deserves it.

1Ben Gibson

Capology estimated pay is £35k per week.

Ben Gibson, a former Middlesbrough, Norwich City, and Burnley defender, rounds out the list.

The defender, like Gallagher and Johansson, joined Stoke in the summer of 2024 under Schumacher’s management, signing a three-year contract worth around £35,000 per week.

Gibson, who played often under Schumacher and subsequently Narcis Pelach, has fallen out of favour under Robins, playing as fifth-choice centre-back and third-choice left-back.

The club captain has made 40 appearances for the Potters in all competitions, and while his estimated wage has always been difficult to justify, he hasn’t come close.