Wolves have officially loaned out Luke Cundle again, with the midfielder now joining Stoke City for the second half of the season.
The 21-year-old had started the campaign with Plymouth Argyle and made 27 appearances for the Championship, scoring five goals and making six assists.
Wolves recalled Cundle and reports were suggesting that Stoke were set to sign the player on loan for the rest of the reason. There were also claims that Wolves were actually considering selling Cundle for about £2 million.
That has now come to pass, with Wolves confirming the news this afternoon. No option-to-buy clause has been reported.
The news has not gone down particularly well on social media with some Plymouth fans, many of whom had grown very fond of Cundle.
But he is a Stoke player now, and their technical director believes the Potters have landed a fantastic young player for the second half of 2023/24…
Stoke technical director Ricky Martin hails Luke Cundle capture from Wolves
Cundle will look to continue playing regular minutes, and he should have a good chance of doing that under Stephen Schumacher, who was Plymouth’s manager when they signed Cundle back in August.
Plymouth director of football Neil Dewsnip had a theory as to why Cundle left his club to ultimately join Stoke, saying (Stoke Sentinel): “I think it’s about economics, the way I was told by Wolverhampton Wanderers. I’m not privy to what those economics are, but I would imagine they are paying a lot more money than we were.”
Wolves pathways manager Steve Davis has said (via Wolves official) that ‘things moved quickly’ with Cundle and Stoke, and the hope is that he will be able to continue his good form in the Championship.
Stoke are certainly very pleased to sign the midfielder.
Their technical director Ricky Martin has been speaking about Cundle today, and believes the club have landed one of the very best young talents around.
He said (stokecityfc.com): “Having played under Steven during the first half of this season at Plymouth, Luke is already well versed in the style of play we are looking to implement at Stoke City.
“Steven sees Luke as one of the brightest young talents around and as someone whose drive and personality will have a positive impact on our group.
“We have strong connections with Wolverhampton Wanderers, they believe Luke’s development will be well served with us, and we are equally excited by what he can bring to our side between now and the end of the season.”
Another good opportunity for Cundle
So Cundle is now a Stoke player and hopefully he will be able to carry on performing well in a league he knows quite well by now.
Cundle also gave some words to the official Stoke website, and it’s clear that he likes Schumacher and the style of football he plays. Seemingly, he was a big factor in his decision to move.
Cundle was doing well at Plymouth so it is a bit of a risk for him to change clubs midway through the season, but seemingly he and the club feel it is for the best.
Ideally, he’ll thrive and return to Wolves in the summer, ready to either become a first-team option or potentially make the club a nice bit of cash in the transfer market.