Sportsmail exclusively revealed on Thursday how Stoke had been forced to abandon plans to sack Berahino following his drink driving conviction earlier this year.

EXCLUSIVE BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA: Jack Butland is ready to quit English football and move to Europe in the next fortnight to save his England career ahead of Euro 2020 next summer.

JANINE SELF AT THE BET365 STADIUM: An emotional outburst from Stoke manager Nathan Jones promises a Monday morning from hell when the players next gather for training.

IAN WHITTELL AT DEEPDALE: Stoke manager Nathan Jones accused England keeper Jack Butland of having his head turned by talks of a move away from Stoke.

Nathan Jones admitted he could lose his job if he fails to arrest Stoke's alarming slump. A classy display by Leeds kept them top of the Championship and piled more pressure on the beleagured Jones.

JASON MELLOR AT ELLAND ROAD: Danny Batth put Stoke into the lead before Sam Vokes doubled their advantage during the first-half of the second round clash at Elland Road.

Stoke City are facing a legal fight after failing to pay a mandated agent when they signed their former striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

ON THE ROAD: Paul takes a quick glance at his watch and lets out a heavy sigh. 'A season or two ago, this place would have been rammed by now,' he says.

Stoke boss Nathan Jones admitted his much-changed side were 'nowhere good enough' after they crashed out of the Carabao Cup to League Two Crawley.

IAN WHITTELL AT THE BET365 STADIUM: Nathan Jones edged ever closer to the exit door at struggling Stoke with yet another helping hand from his goalkeeper Jack Butland.

Stoke manager Nathan Jones admits is he is running out of time after a dismal start to the season in the Championship.

Stoke could ask Tony Pulis to return for a third spell in charge of the Championship club if they sack Nathan Jones, according to The Sun.

Stoke have endured a woeful start to the Championship season under Nathan Jones and are rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points from 10 matches.

EXCLUSIVE: Stoke City HAVE FIRED manager Nathan Jones, after the club slipped to second bottom of the Championship following a dismal run of results.

Alex Neil is the man Stoke City want as their next manager following the dismissal of Nathan Jones on Friday. The Potters currently find themselves in the relegation zone following a poor start.

Preston reacted angrily to widespread reports that Neil was Stoke's favoured choice and that he was ready to take on the challenge of resurrecting the Championship's bottom placed club.

The Potters parted company with Jones last week after a poor start to the Championship season that has left them fighting a relegation battle and want Clarke to be the man to take over.

Stoke are on the look out for a new manager after sacking Nathan Jones on November 1 after just nine months in charge, with the club rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.

Stoke have made a formal approach to the Irish FA and are ready to pay the £650,000 compensation figure included in the new contract Michael O'Neill signed in February 2018 to bring him to the Potteries.

The Potters sacked Nathan Jones a week ago after he failed to point them back in the direction of the Premier League, and they have now turned to the highly regarded O'Neill.

MATT HUGHES - AHEAD OF THE GAME: Stoke City's new manager, Michael O'Neill, may be forced to sell players in January to help club avoid falling foul of EFL's profit and sustainability rules.

Stoke want £15million for Allen, 29, who is on around £65,000 per week, yet West Ham are looking to pay closer to £8m. Stoke had interest from Burnley in the summer who remain admirers.

JASON MELLOR AT THE RIVERSIDE STADIUM: Lewis Wing added to his collection of stand out strikes to put the brakes on Stoke's bid to climb out of the Championship drop zone.

Aston Villa are poised to step up their search for a goalkeeper and a striker with the club expecting Wesley and Tom Heaton face significant spells out of action.

Stoke City midfielder Peter Etebo is in talks over a move to Getafe. The 24-year old is due to join on loan with view to a permanent sale. Etebo joined Stoke from Feirense in the summer of 2018.

The charge relates to chants heard during the Sky Bet Championship clash between Barnsley and Stoke at Oakwell on November 9, which the Potters won, in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.

SIMON JONES: Manager Garry Monk is having to work on a tight budget but wants to strengthen his goalscoring options as he strives to make an impression on the play-off places.

Celtic are expected to watch Stoke City striker Tyrese Campbell on Saturday ahead of a potential move. The 22-year-old is out of contract in the summer and Celtic are interested.

Cardiff City boss Neil Harris is interested in a reunion with Stoke City forward Lee Gregory after their success together at Millwall.

JANINE SELF AT THE HAWTHORNS: What started as a night of goal-scoring celebration ended with the prospect of a lengthy stint in the rehab room for Stoke striker Tyrese Campbell

The pair were engaged in a running battle during Preston's 2-0 away victory at the bet365 Stadium, and it appears there is little love lost between the pair.

The 27-year-old joined Stoke for a club-record £18.3m from Porto in 2016 but struggled to make an impression and has been out on loan at Italian side Lecce who held an option to buy at £3.5m.

Kenwyne Jones has lifted the lid on the 'deplorable' pigs head prank he was on the receiving end of at Stoke and had members of the Muslim community contacting him offering to 'handle the situation.' 

The sanction relates to chants heard during the Sky Bet Championship clash between the sides on November 9, which the Potters won 4-2.

He was forced off at half-time after an awkward landing having tripped over Hull's Daniel Batty and will miss the rest of the season before sitting out this summer's tournament in addition.

James McClean has been punished after posting an image of himself in a balaclava, accompanied by a caption that read 'today's school lesson - history', interpreted as a reference to the IRA.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY IAN LADYMAN: Instead of the intensity of a survival fight and the anticipation of a Euro 2020 play-off game, O'Neill is living his life in suspended animation.

Dykes, who is 6ft 2ins tall and quick, has been followed by a number of Championship sides but Stoke hope they can strike a bargain ahead of rivals once the transfer window opens this summer.

The clamour for Mohamed Sankoh is growing after an impressive campaign at Stoke's academy, scoring nine goals and registering nine assists in his 16 appearances for the club's Under-18 side

Sheffield Wednesday halted Stoke's mini-revival and climbed to third in the Sky Bet Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Potters on Tuesday.

ADAM LANIGAN AT THE BET365 STADIUM: Sam Clucas settled a personal score against the club he joined for £16.5m before their Premier League relegation and helped to extend Stoke's fine run.

The BBC unveiled their six-strong shortlist for this year's Sports Personality of the Year on Monday. The public will vote on December 15 with the winner crowned in Aberdeen that night.

OLIVER HOLT: Ben Stokes stopped the sporting world last year with two magical moments. There are six credible SPOTY candidates, but Stokes would get my vote.

Australia may have retained the urn but couldn't do enough to win the 2019 Ashes series as England clinched a 135-run fifth Test victory to level the scores.

RICHARD GIBSON: As the ghost writer of a soon-to-be-published memoir of Ben Stokes' summer, I have been given the privilege of re-living these momentous events through his eyes.

Stokes struck an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand on the way to England's maiden World Cup title and then crashed a barely-believable 135 not out to keep the Ashes alive at Headingley.

The Ashes star was seen with his hand in wife Clare Stokes' face at the Professional Cricketers' Association Awards Anniversary party in London last Wednesday.

England's top cricketer was seen with his hand on Clare Stokes's face at the Professional Cricketers' Association party in London last Wednesday.

Stokes has enjoyed an unforgettable year, playing a starring role in the historic World Cup victory at Lord's then producing one of Test cricket's greatest ever innings in the Third Ashes Test.

Ben Stokes has revealed being sledged relentlessly by David Warner was the motivation behind his stunning match-winning century against Australia at Headingley in August.