Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle has joined Championship side Stoke City on loan, after returning from Plymouth Argyle recently.
The 21-year-old impressed during his second loan spell away from Molineux, scoring five goals and laying on six assists during his 27 appearances for the Pilgrims so far this term.
That successful spell came on the back of his first season of regular football at Swansea City, meaning the youngster has now chalked up 68 senior appearances, having debuted for Wolves in the Carabao Cup back in 2019.
After impressing at Home Park, the move to Stoke represents a reunion with former Argyle boss Steven Schumacher for Cundle, who will also play alongside fellow Old Gold loanee Ki-Jana Hoever.
The youngster has been part of the Molineux set-up for more than nine years, rising through each level of the academy, and turned out for the club four times in the Premier League, before his recent run of loan spells, the latest of which comes at the bet365 Stadium.
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 move to Stoke is a third taste of the Championship for the midfielder, in a third different area of the country, which helps provide different experiences in the growing up process, on and off the pitch.
“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.”
