Tommy Smith makes it seven new signings

Stoke City have made their seventh signing of the summer adding Huddersfield right back Tommy Smith for a fee of around £4m. Josh Tymon has joined Portguese side FC Famalicao on a season-long loan.

Confirmed INS –

Jordan Cousins (QPR) – free

Ben Davies (Barnsley) – free

Lee Gregory (Millwall) – free

Liam Lindsay (Barnsley) – £2m

Nick Powell (Wigan) – free

Tommy Smith (Huddersfield) – £4m

Stephen Ward (Burnley) – free

Confirmed OUTS –

Charlie Adam, Darren Fletcher, Jacob Haugaard – all released at the end of their contracts

Eric Pieters (Burnley) – undisclosed fee

Harry Souter (Fleetwood Town) – season long loan

Josh Tymon (FC Famalicao) – season long loan

Ashley Williams – loan ended, out of contract at Everton

Erik Pieters joins Burnley

Erik Pieters has joined Burnley for a fee of £1m plus add ons. He follows in the footsteps of Jon Walters, Phil Bardsley and Peter Crouch who have all joined Burnley from Stoke in recent years.

Kevin Wimmer is training with SC Cologne as Stoke look to offload him and up to eight other players (Moritz Bauer, Geoff Cameron, Mame Diouf, Giannelli Imbula, Julien Ngoy, Erik Pieters, Josh Tymon plus Bojan who is training in Spain) that don’t currently feature in the manager’s plans.

Stoke City bring in six

Stoke City manager Nathan Jones wanted the majority of the new signings in before pre-season started and he got his wish with six players joining last week. Five were out of contract players, of which Nick Powell and Lee Gregory look sound business, plus former Burnley defender Stephen Ward signed on a one year contract is another good piece of business. Former QPR and Charlton midfielder Jordan Cousins has worked with Jones previously and could prove to a be a shrewd signing, with him earmarked for the base of Jones’s prefered midfield diamond shape.

Stoke still expect to sign two or three more players, although the emphasis will be on shifting out players, as bar the released ones below, none have left the club yet. Charlie Adam is training with Blackburn as he looks for a new club this summer.

Confirmed INS –

Jordan Cousins (QPR) – free

Ben Davies (Barnsley) – free

Lee Gregory (Millwall) – free

Liam Lindsay (Barnsley) – £2m

Nick Powell (Wigan) – free

Stephen Ward (Burnley) – free

Confirmed OUTS –

Charlie Adam, Darren Fletcher, Jacob Haugaard – all released at the end of their contracts

Ashley Williams – loan ended, out of contract at Everton

Stoke City pre-season 2019 & QPR at home first game of the season

26 June squad report back for pre-season training

July 6-13 European based training camp

Sat 13 July MSV Duisberg  (A) 3pm local time

Wed 17 July Wrexham (A) 7pm

Wed 24 July Lincoln City (A) 7:45pm

Sat 20 July Tranmere Rovers (A) 3pm

Sat 27 July Leicester City (H) 3pm

Sat 3 Aug Championship season starts

Stoke face QPR at home on Sat Aug 3 at 3pm as the opening fixture of the 2019/20 season. In the League Cup Stoke have an away trip to Wigan in the first round due to be played w/c 12 Aug.

Transfer wise new signings are expected to announced from early next week according to Chief Executive Tony Scholes. Ben Davies (Barnsley), Lee Gregory (Millwall) & Nick Powell (Wigan) have signed according to various reports with Liam Lindsay set to join from Barnsley.

Didcot Town announce pre-season friendlies

Didcot Town open their pre-season against Milton Utd, who are literally just up the road and finish off with a home friendly against Highworth Town. In between are games against Redditch, Shrivenham and Ardley Utd.

Tuesday 16th July: Milton Utd (A) 7:45pm kick off

Saturday 3rd August: Highworth Town (H) 3pm kick off

Full list of pre-season fixtures can be found here

Stoke linked with Liam Lindsay & Butland off to Villa?

Stoke look set to sign Barnsley defender Liam Lindsay for a fee of around £2m according to Sky Sports News. Another linked player is former QPR midfielder Jordan Cousins, who manager Nathan Jones knows from his days at Charlton as their under-21s coach. Cousins would be available on a free after being released by QPR.

Aston Villa are now heavily linked with signing Jack Butland for around £20m and it may happen as soon as this week. Stoke have at least ten players they will be keen to move on in this summer’s transfer window.

Still no official news on signings although it does appear Nick Powell, Lee Gregory & Ben Davies have all signed for the club. They have not been announced yet and would presumably be announced before the players are back for pre-season that starts on June 28th.

In Didcot Town news Morgan Williams has left the club after two seasons and re-joined North Leigh.

Music news – CORNBURY festival returns with headliners THE SPECIALS, KEANE and THE BEACH BOYS (5-7 July 2019)

The sixteenth Cornbury Music Festival is held in The Great Tew Park, Oxfordshire 5-7 July.

Joining headliners The Specials, Keane and The Beach Boys, artists include KT Tunstall, Elkie Brooks, Trevor Horn Band, Paul Cattack and Steeleye Span.

Amongst the sideshow events The Hairy Bikers return with their “pop up” wood-fired restaurant. There’s also an Edinburgh Fringe Festival preview featuring Lost Voice Guy and Rose Matafeo, top prize winner at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2018.  Whilst on the Caffe Nero stage Chris Difford (Squeeze), The Dunwells and are amongst the participants.

Cornbury is a truly “family-friendly” event where “music-lovers share pies and a glass of champagne with superstars, toffs, rockers, crooners, Morris dancers, farmers, urbanites, fashionistas, gourmet chefs and little old ladies who make exceptional cakes”.

More information