Tom Soares
#8
Right winger, left winger, central midfielder
d.o.b: 10/7/86
Signed: September 2008
Games this season: 0/1
Goals this season: 0
Total club games: 8/5
Total club goals: 0
A pacey midfielder, who is most comfortable in the middle but is more than competent on either wing.
Former England Under 21 international who was signed from Crystal Palace for £1.25m on transfer deadline day to help with the Potters push for Premier League survival.
Soares had to wait for over a month for his debut before finally coming on in the 2-1 defeat away at Portsmouth. He made his first start on the right wing 7 days later at home to Spurs, and was instrumental in the Potters 2-1 win.
Has previous experience of the top flight from his time at Palace and had widely been regarded as one of the Eagles better players since he broke into the side 3 years ago.
Never got that run in the side but looked exciting at times when he did play but utterly frustrating at others before being loaned out to Charlton for three months in the second half of the season.
Returned to the Potters after the Addicks were relegated to League One and sat around twiddling his thumbs on the sidelines at Stoke before being loaned to Sheffield Wednesday, but the Owls were also relegated to League One, and yet again he returned to Stoke.
Never featured in the first team during pre-season, or in the Carling Cup, and, although involved in the 25 man squad, his only action during 2010/11 was a substitute sppearance away at Cardiff in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, where he put in a good, competent performance.
It would take a massive injury crisis for Soares to be involved in the Potters first XI during the upcoming season, although he has signed a new deal and may be sticking around for minutes in the numerous cups the Potters will be playing in this campaign.