5 players from relegation-threatened-sides who could be hot property this summer

#2 Jack Butland

Jack Butland could be England's #1 this summer

It’s surprising to see a goalkeeper in contention to wear the #1 jersey for his country in the upcoming World Cup while playing for a side in the bottom three of the Premier League, but Jack Butland’s reputation and form is such that few analysts would blame him for Stoke City’s current position.

It’s true that Butland has been between the sticks for 29 of Stoke’s 32 league games, during which he’s conceded 54 goals.

But, he’s at least managed to keep 5 clean sheets during that period and according to the Premier League’s official statistics, has only been at fault individually for just one of the goals he’s let in.

He’s also made 120 saves and, has a save percentage of 67.8% - high, considering the current predicament his side are in.

Given the likes of Petr Cech at Arsenal and Thibault Courtois at Chelsea have come in for some criticism this season and may well be on their way out, the likelihood of a bigger club making a move for Butland in the summer seems rather high. At 25 years old he’s still young for a goalkeeper and it’s likely that his best years could still be ahead of him.

If he can claim England’s #1 spot as his own and have a strong World Cup, it simply doesn’t seem feasible that he’ll be playing at the bet365 Stadium next season. Expect a flurry of bids from all kinds of Premier League clubs to come in should Stoke go down.