GARETH Owen will remain Stoke City Academy manager after reversing his previous decision to leave.

In July, Stoke announced Owen would leave after more than a decade to “seek a new adventure in football”. He planned to leave this month, but has now decided to stay.

Technical director Ricky Martin said:
“The fact that Gareth’s recent experiences at the club – and the direction in which he sees things going – have influenced his decision to stay with us is a credit to his peers and is a testament to the potential that exists across our age groups.

“We will continue to seek to develop the best players possible through our education. Of course, this is an exciting project and an area that we must continue to strengthen and support as we seek to increase the training of local talent. »

Owen added:
“While the process we have undertaken over the past few weeks has been about transition, it has helped me grasp the scale of opportunity for the Academy and the incredibly talented players within it going forward. “Following positive conversations with Ricky in particular, our assessment is that it is in the best interests of the football club for me to stay. Having been part of Stoke City for most of my football career, on and off the field, for me that really is the most important thing.

Owen is a product of the Potters youth system and had a playing career that spanned 288 games with Stoke, Oldham, Stockport and Port Vale. He returned to Stoke in 2012 as Foundation Stage Coach and was promoted to Academy Director in May 2019.

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