http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/story-13126171-detail/story.html? STOKE have received offers of around £1m from both Burnley and Ipswich Town for Academy product Ryan Shotton. Both clubs, together with others in the Championship, are also willing to take the 22-year-old defender on a season-long loan. Fenton-born Shotton has made a name for himself in pre-season as a makeshift striker â playing his part in the late winner in last week's Europa League victory at Hajduk Split. But his defensive qualities, both at full-back and centre-half, is what has prompted renewed interest in his services after he returned from a season with Barnsley to spend last term back at the Britannia. Manager Tony Pulis will be keen to avoid sending out the wrong signal by selling a homegrown product like Shotton at a time when the club is talking up its determination to recruit local talent into its Academy. "Ryan is a young lad who needs to play football," said Pulis, "and we hope he plays football with us. But he does need to play, like Andy Wilkinson and Carl Dickinson before him did." Pulis has long believed that players are developing later in life these days because of the Academy's softly, softly approach to development and because clubs no longer have so many 'dead' games to blood their youngsters at the end of a season. Pulis has taken a more hands-on grip on the club's Academy this summer to toughen up development and improve recruitment. He insists there is the talent to exploit in the Potteries, and just beyond, to justify the club concentrating its recruitment closer to home. "It's important we knuckle down and try to recruit the best young players in our area," he said. "We have invested more and more over the years into our youth policy and we have to see a return â but that return won't be for the next two years. "It is very difficult to get kids to the standard we want, but we must try to do that. "The way we are going to do that is to get the best young players from our area into the club. I believe the ability is out there and now we have got facilities that are as good as anywhere in the country. "Now is the time to stop making excuses. For the next two years we will concentrate on getting this right."
I dont think we have had the opportunity to see the best of him yet and I would like to think our home grown talent could make a positive contribution towards our team moving forward, so would prefer him to go on loan. However, I'm not sure whether they want him as a defender or as a new make shift attacker?
