Reports claim that Stoke are looking to trim their Irish contingent: Shay Given has left, with Glenn Whelan and Jon Walters both linked with transfers away from the club.
One (ex) Irish international who is going to be sticking with the club for a while at least, however, is one Stephen Ireland.
Ireland missed all of last season with a broken leg, having sustained the injury back in April of last year. His contract at the club expired yesterday, but Stoke have handed him a six-month extension to aid his recovery from the injury.
The club's CEO, Tony Scholes, confirmed the news to the Stoke Sentinel:
Stephen has been forced to put his career on hold after suffering a very serious injury in training through no fault of his own.
He's working incredibly hard to get himself back to full fitness and we felt that it was only right to offer him a short-term contract to give him peace of mind while he continues with that process.
Stephen is grateful for the support we have shown him and we look forward to hopefully seeing him pull on a Stoke City shirt again in the near future.
Ireland joined the club from Aston Villa, initially on loan, in 2013, before making the move permanent in 2014. He has made 65 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring six goals.
