Steven Schumacher has affirmed that Stoke City intends to build their team around Bae Junho and Wouter Burger, downplaying speculation about their potential summer departures.

Twenty-year-old playmaker Junho has attracted attention from Feyenoord, while 23-year-old midfielder Burger has been linked to Tottenham Hotspur. However, it would take an extraordinary offer to pry Junho, Stoke’s Player of the Year, from the club. Burger is also considered untouchable as he aims to prove himself as a top Championship midfielder.

Addressing these rumors, Schumacher said, “I’d just say to our fans that speculation is good, it shows that our players are doing something well, but there have been no bids for either of them.” He added, “Absolutely, both of them are a big part of my plans. They were brought here last summer, and we knew the first season would be an adjustment period. As the season went on, both players got stronger, especially Junho. Wouter returned in excellent condition this off-season and has looked really sharp in pre-season. We want to build our team around our best players, not lose them.”

Both Junho and Burger started in Stoke’s 2-1 win over Crewe Alexandra in their third summer friendly. So far, the club has made three signings—Viktor Johansson, Eric Bocat, and Ben Gibson—all of whom featured at Gresty Road.

Stoke City still has more transfer business to conduct and will see some players leave to secure more playing time. However, the club does not need to sell to meet Financial Fair Play constraints or to fund further signings.