Stoke City have rejected a bid of around €2 million for Republic of Ireland striker Jon Walters from Norwich City but it is possible that the 31-year-old could be allowed to leave if the newly promoted side come back with an improved offer.
Walters has just this season left on his current deal and has been looking for a new three-year contract, with Stoke so far only willing to give him two.
Manager Mark Hughes has insisted the former Ipswich Town star, who scored 11 goals last season and has started both of the club’s Premier League games so far, is a part of his plans but new signing Xheridan Shaqiri should be available for today’s game against Norwich and he has other attacking options so Walters may not be regarded as quite as important as he had been previously by the Welshman.
Marc Wilson is in contention to start for Stoke today after missing the opening weeks of the new campaign with an ankle problem while Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill will also be keeping an eye on the team selection at Sunderland where there is pressure, after the team's terrible start, to recall John O'Shea to the starting line up for the game against Swansea.
While Keiren Westwood is likely to miss Sheffield Wednesday's game against Leeds United, another player O'Neill will be looking out for is Darren Randolph who looks set to start for West Ham against Bournemouth despite reports that the club was trying to bring in Robert Green with the Irishman potentially moving on loan to QPR as part of the deal.
If he does start, Randolph will have one or two points to prove, not least to Bournemouth fans who saw him concede 12 times in two league games against their side last season when he was at Birmingham.
Pull out
Harry Arter misses out for the visitors again with a groin strain amid suggestions that manager Eddie Howe feels the midfielder will be forced to pull out of Ireland's squad for the Gibraltar and Georgia matches.
Jack Grealish is set to make his first appearance of the new campaign at Crystal Palace with manager Tim Sherwood admitting that the team could do with having him back.
As for the 19-year-old’s international future, the manager says: “He has got to make that decision whether he is English or Irish but it is up to Jack. It doesn’t impact on what I do. If it becomes a problem to Jack then it becomes a problem for me [but] he is quite cool about it. He is relaxed.”
