Stoke City have had yet another underwhelming campaign as they aim to stay in the Championship for the sixth season running – and there may well be another summer rebuild on the cards.

The Potters have had their worst season in two decades, with Alex Neil’s efforts at the start of the campaign and Steven Schumacher’s slow start to life in Staffordshire putting them into the relegation spots as recently as last week.

An away win at Preston North End has somewhat alleviated fears, and if Stoke are to stay in the division they’ll need to rack up a few more points in order to stave off any anxiousness. And, should that become an eventuality, there are a few players who could leave in the summer to start another rebuild. Football League World takes a look at four players who could exit for a fee.

4Mehdi Leris

Leris joined Stoke in the summer window from Sampdoria, and a decent start to life in the Midlands saw him become Stoke’s  as they looked to record a top-half finish with a spate of wins through October.

But he doesn’t seem to be favoured by Schumacher. His last start came at the beginning of February in the 5-0 drubbing at home to Leicester, and since then he’s only made 16 minutes of appearances from a possible seven games – with two of those being stoppage-time introductions to see out a win.

If Stoke do stay up and Schumacher stays at the helm, they could well move him on – especially with a whole host of wingers such as Lynden Gooch, Andre Vidigal and Ryan Mmaee all capable of playing on the right, his funds could be used elsewhere.

3Liam McCarron

McCarron joined the Potters from Leeds at the start of last season, but he’s failed to make a single league appearance for the Potters – his solo appearance coming in this season’s FA Cup.

He was even loaned to local rivals Port Vale in January last season, but only two appearances followed before he returned to the Bet365 Stadium. For his own career and for Stoke’s good, McCarron needs a move – and he looks to be a player that could be moved on for a minimal fee.

2Wouter Burger

Burger joined from Basel as a real statement of intent, having been an integral part of their Europa Conference League run to the semi-finals; but with the way that Stoke’s season has panned out, he could well be looking for a move should Stoke look to gain a decent-sized fee for the Dutchman.

Burger has been one of Stoke’s best performers all season with two goals and four assists from defensive midfield, and with a further three years left on his contract, he’s not a player that fans will want to see depart.

But his talents are, generally speaking, used to higher levels – especially having come close to a European title last season – and if the Potters do receive a fee for his services that they deem to be acceptable, he could leave the Bet365 Stadium after just one season.

1Ben Pearson

Pearson came to Stoke with a lot of Championship pedigree, having excelled at second-tier level under contract at Preston and later Bournemouth – but his stint at the Staffordshire club has been massively underwhelming.

Five yellow cards in just seven Championship games to start the season saw him suspended by the end of September, and five more picked up before Christmas meant he missed two games over the festive period, which is not what you want from a central midfielder that you’re supposed to be relying upon.

It’s only been sporadic performances since, with three starts since Boxing Day, and a red card away at Leeds United is another example of poor discipline from Pearson. Effectively, a team struggling in the relegation battle should not have an experienced player who is so precarious when it comes to being available – and Stoke should look to move him on with three more years left on his contract.