Stoke City have revealed their second piece of business this summer, as Mark Robins’ side enters a busy transfer window.

Stoke had another disappointing season in the Potteries, finishing in the bottom half for the tenth time in a row.

Despite being one of the first teams off the start, winning four of their first five games, Robins’ side’s form proved unsustainable, and they fell down the table before completing.

In reality, their strong start to the season proved to be the deciding factor in the Potters’ survival, with only Sheffield Wednesday picking up fewer points than Stoke during the remaining 30 games.

Robins will be well aware that his roster requires additional surgery, and with player contracts set to expire across the EFL, Stoke are no exception, as the club has already taken a significant choice over the future of one of its key players.

Stoke City has exercised Ben Wilmot’s one-year extension option.

Ben Wilmot is the longest-serving player in the Stoke team, having arrived from Watford in the summer of 2021 for about £1.5 million to £2 million. He has since made 188 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Wilmot, who was signed by potential Blackburn Rovers manager Michael O’Neill, had recently gained promotion to the Premier League with the Hornets and hoped to do the same with Stoke.

It hasn’t exactly worked out that way, as the centre-back has now played under five different managers in North Staffordshire, alongside countless teammates, resulting in a significant level of churn in the squad since his arrival.

His contract with the Potters was set to expire this summer after he signed a three-year extension in the summer of 2023, but Stoke have taken measures to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer by activating his one-year extension provision.

This comes after the club was able to sign Viktor Johansson to a new four-year contract, extending the Swede’s tenure in the Potteries until 2030, which could be the best piece of business done all summer.

Though it is unclear whether Wilmot, 26, wishes to spend another year of his career with Stoke, and with 12 months until he officially leaves on a free, if he refuses to sign a new contract, the Potters may decide to cash in on him in the coming months.

Wilmot’s centre-back partnerships at the bet365 Stadium are already in the double digits, and with Stoke making little to no progress during his tenure with the club, he may be eager to try his hand elsewhere sooner than later.

The most significant thing for Stoke is that they will not lose him for free, at least not this summer; whether he stays for next season remains to be seen.

Mark Robins must prepare for another Stoke City rebuild following Ben Wilmot’s contract decision.

With the issue of Wilmot departing on a free transfer alleviated, all attention will shift to the summer window for the Robins and Stoke.

The decision on the expiring contracts of Lewis Baker, Steven Nzonzi, Aaron Cresswell, and Frank Fielding remains to be made, as each is expected to leave the club at the end of the month.

Baker is the club’s second-longest serving player after Wilmot, arriving on a free transfer from Chelsea six months later, while Nzonzi, 37, and Cresswell, 36, signed one-year contracts in the summer that have yet to be extended.

As a massive summer window approaches, the last decisions on currently contracted players will be made soon, with Wilmot’s fate already determined.