Should Cort leave Stoke?

Stoke centre-back Leon Cort is set to sit down this week with manager Tony Pulis to resolve his future. The 29 year old has just 12 months left to run on his current contract and has expressed his disappointment at being used mainly as a substitute and sometimes not being selected for the squad.

He joined Stoke initially on loan in November 2007 from Crystal Palace and enjoyed his first two months at the club as both he and Liam Lawrence struck a potent partnership at corners and set-pieces. After impressing, Pulis was quick to snap the defender up in January 2008 for a then club record fee of £1.25m. Cort’s impact lasted the duration of the season as his 8 goals helped the Potters secure promotion to the premier league.

After a heroic first season, Leon struggled to hold down his place alongside Abdoulaye Faye. After a couple of months in and out of the team, he fell behind both Ryan Shawcross and Ibrahima Sonko in the pecking order; this limited him to just nine league starts.

Pulis will be looking to get rid of either Cort or Ibrahima Sonko during the summer as he looks to bring in another centre half to compete with Abdoulaye Faye and Ryan Shawcross. Cort looks the more likely departure as he was reportedly unhappy and looking for a new challenge.

As a Stoke fan I can’t say we will desperately miss him as he doesn’t have the quality of Faye or Shawcross but he is a decent player who did wonders in the championship. Perhaps this is where he is better off? If we can get our money back I think we have done well out of him but it’s now time to bring in more quality defenders to make sure we have the right squad for the new season.