Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle completes Stoke loan

The academy graduate was recalled from a loan spell at Plymouth to join fellow Championship side Stoke and follow Steven Schumacher, who recently left Plymouth to take over as head coach at the Potters.

The 21-year-old impressed with the Pilgrims, managing five goals and six assists in 27 appearances.

Stoke are now covering more of Cundle's wages than Plymouth were, while Wolves hope he will play more under Schumacher. There is no option to buy in the loan agreement, but Cundle could make a permanent move in the summer if the loan goes well.

Pathways manager Steve Davis said: “Steven Schumacher took him to Plymouth in the summer and wanted that type of player at Stoke, which was a big factor for Luke. He knows what he needs at Stoke and felt Luke could help them to be creative and add a goal threat. Luke had a really good spell at Plymouth, so there was no rush to take him away, but things moved quickly, and Luke wanted to give it a go there.

“The first loan at Swansea was a good fit for him, in terms of how he plays, and he was able to show what he could do there. He kicked on from there at Plymouth. We always felt he could link the game well, but he needed to add goals and assists, and he certainly did that at Plymouth. Hopefully now he can carry on that form to help Stoke climb the league. Part of the pathway is to keep seeing improvements and with each loan, he’s showed that.

“Stoke know what they’re bringing in, he can fit straight into the way they want to play, he knows the system. A key advantage is having worked together and it should be seamless for Luke and hopefully he can be as consistent as he was at Plymouth.”