Stoke City chairman Peter Coates still adamant Ryan Shawcross will not be sold this summer

Ryan Shawcross – Stoke City, (Getty Images)

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Stoke City chairman Peter Coates has rejected claims club captain Ryan Shawcross could be leaving the club.

The 23-year-old has been the subject of intense speculation in past transfer windows, and this summer has been no exception, with a reported move to Tottenham on the cards, with out of favour Honduran midfielder Wilson Palacios coming to the Britannia as part of the deal.

However, Coates has moved to rubbish those claims, saying he expects his captain to be at the Britannia next season.

“We see Ryan’s future at Stoke City. He is a very good young player and I expect him to be at Stoke next season.” Coates told thisisstaffordshire.co.uk

“I think with Ryan and Robert Huth we have two of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, and we don’t want to change that.”

Shawcross has endured many ups and downs since his move to Stoke from Manchester United in 2007.

From highs like leading his side out at Wembley in the FA Cup final and being named in the England squad to face Egypt, to lows such as the horrific tackle which left Aaron Ramsey with a double fracture to the lower leg and subsequently out of action for nine months.

Yet on the whole Shawcross has been a valuable asset to the Potters, and one they clearly don’t want to lose.

With regards to Shawcross’ stalled international career, Coates believes the centre-back still has plenty of time to leave his mark on the international scene.

He continued: “I thought Ryan did very well last year and got better as the season went on.

“All young players have dips in form, but centre-back is a position where you are going to get better as you gain more experience. He is already doing fantastically.”