Stoke City named in Championship trio plotting transfer swoop on Gary Rowett midfielder

Stoke City is one of three Championship teams attempting to acquire the midfielder Gary Rowett.

According to reports, Sheffield United, Leicester, and Stoke City are thinking about making a final attempt to entice Cameron Brannagan to leave Oxford United.

After signing from Liverpool, Brannagan, now 29, has been at Oxford for the past seven and a half years. During their time in League One, he established a reputation for his ability to score goals from midfield. He scored 39 goals in his final three seasons at that level, which culminated in his 2024 promotion to the Championship.

As he controlled his body throughout the season, he managed three goals in the Championship, including a 35-yard blast against Cardiff that gave them a crucial victory in April. After initial concerns that he would need surgery and prolonged rehabilitation, he received injections to treat a knee injury he sustained against Stoke in September.

He will be desired during the summer transfer window, according to EFL Analysis, which also warns that “a bidding war could begin as a result.” Shortly before he signed a new contract in 2022, it was also reported that Sheffield United and Stoke were in a five-way race for Brannagan.

Having already triggered a one-year extension for Lewis Baker, Mark Robins is expected to bring in a new center midfield player for 2025–2026. Bosun Lawal missed the majority of his first season in the Potteries due to a back ailment, and there has been conjecture regarding the futures of Wouter Burger and Sol Sidibe. After moving to England, Tatsuki Seko played in 28 games during a personal season that lasted from February 2024, when he was playing for Kawasaki Frontale in Japan, to May 2025.

Then Oxford manager Des Buckingham praised Brannagan as “one of the best players in League One for many seasons” when he agreed to a new, long-term deal last summer, albeit it was not specified how long it would last. He continued to play a significant role as the team won the Championship and Gary Rowett took Buckingham’s place.

After establishing the Cam Brannagan Football Academy in five locations throughout Oxfordshire two years ago, it sounds like he will have to be dragged away.

“I’ve said this to many people close to me, but to be honest, this will be me for the rest of my life,” he remarked in an autumn interview with Radio Oxford. I’ll spend the rest of my life down here. I would be shocked if I ever moved back, thus I will never do so now. Now, this is my home, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve said it a lot: I love the people here, I love the place, and I think I’ll spend the rest of my life in Oxfordshire.

“I definitely wouldn’t have agreed when I first joined, saying that I didn’t initially appreciate living here and that I would never, ever stay here. I was here alone at the time, so that was a major influence, plus I was traveling a lot. I really missed home and my family and friends. I’m always here, but you can’t get me home right now. I adore the location.

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