REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U21 international Will Smallbone has joined Stoke on a season-long loan deal from Southampton.
Smallbone becomes Michael O’Neill’s seventh summer signing at Stoke, who also recently brought in Smallbone’s fellow underage international Gavin Kilkenny on loan from Bournemouth.
Smallbone, 22, has played at Southampton for the entirety of his career, coming through the academy ranks at St Mary’s. He broke into Ralph Hasenhüttl’s first team in 2020 before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Leicester in January of last year.
That significant setback saw Smallbone ruled out for the majority of last season, when he made just four first-team appearances for the Saints. During his recovery, he was also diagnosed with alopecia.
Smallbone most recently starred for Jim Crawford’s Ireland U21s, bagging a brace at home to Bosnia in June and a stunner against Montenegro in Ireland’s following home fixture.
#IRLU21 1-0 Montenegro - Will Smallbone scores an absolute screamer to give Ireland the lead.
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) June 6, 2022
📱 Updates - https://t.co/DQ7qpQRcX3
📺 Watch - https://t.co/NVrpaW23DL pic.twitter.com/jHueGEvUep
Born in Basingstoke, England, Smallbone has committed his international future to Ireland, for whom he qualifies through his Kilkenny-native mother.
