Full rebuild on the way at Potters?

Everything about this game screamed April.

The wind blew a gale while the sun shone and the rain poured and a huge rainbow wrapped around the stadium.

Amongst all of that Stoke played a game that felt meaningless but did shine a light on how much there is to address this summer.

Of the team that started, Gavin Bazunu, Ashley Phillips and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi are on loan, Lewis Baker is out of contract in the summer and Ben Gibson, Ben Pearson, Million Manhoef and Sam Gallagher are about to enter the final year of theirs.

The same can be said of first team regulars Victor Johansson, Junior Tchamadeu, Tatsuki Seko, Bae Junho and, assuming the club trigger an additional year built into his agreement, Ben Wilmot.

Veterans Aaron Cresswell and Steven Nzonzi see their contracts end this summer too, bringing the total number of first team players who are tied to the club for 15 months or less to 15.

If the club can't tie Johansson and Tchamadeu down to longer deals, they may have to sell them despite not wanting to.

Decisions on the other players are more nuanced and complicated but Stoke would surely want a fee for players like Junho and Manhoef while they still retain value if either side in each case favours a parting of the ways.

It looks like a full rebuild could be on the way once you consider that recent signings Maksym Talovierov, Tomas Rigo, Lamine Cisse, Robert Bozenik and Milan Smit who make up the bulk of the group tied to the club long term are all yet to convince manager Mark Robins of their ability to start and contribute consistently.

Sorba Thomas and Bosun Lawal are probably the only two obviously key players signed until 2028.

There is an opportunity within all this to add what Stoke have lacked this season. A clearer identity, attacking threat and greater physicality.

Progress has been made this season with the current squad but it may be a very different group of players tasked with taking the club to the next level.