The free agents available to Stoke City and the wingers who could tempt Mark Robins
Stoke City could not find the right winger at the right price to add to Mark Robins' squad before the transfer deadline. But clubs in the Championship can still bring in free agents to bolster their options outside of the window.
There are some interesting names which have been added to the free agent directory over the last few weeks, including former Liverpool and Rangers winger Ryan Kent, who has left Fenerbahce. The 28-year-old is apparently closing in on a move to Persepolis in the Iranian league, where Steven Nzonzi's Sepahan currently top the table.
Manchester City youth graduate Ben Knight left Real Murcia yesterday. He came through the ranks with Josh Wilson-Esbrand and has had loans at Crewe Alexandra and Stockport County before trying his luck in Spain but the 22-year-old son of former England cricketer Nick Knight has been on the fringes this term.
READ MORE: Sunderland complete after hours deal for Stoke target but with a catch
Left-back Brandon Williams, aged 24, has stayed without a club since leaving Manchester United last summer while 24-year-old Stoke old boy Tashan Oakley-Boothe, who came through the academy at Tottenham, hasn't been able to find anywhere to lay down his roots and play regularly.
This is not a route that Stoke are not all that likely to go down. Robins already has his own players who are coming back from injury and need to build up minutes and sharpness to make a difference in the Championship without adding any more projects. But still, it has happened before, with Alex Neil signing Ciaran Clark in a defensive crisis last season. Clark is on the list now.
These are the players from the UK and Ireland who are available if push came to shove, available on free transfers.
Goalkeepers
Lewis Thomas - Age: 22 - Last club: Unattached
Jack McIntyre - Age: 22 - Last club: Everton
Right-backs
Fankaty Dabo - Age: 29 - Last club: Raith Rovers
Liam Grimshaw - Age: 30 - Last club: Dundee United
Martin Kelly - Age: 34 - Last club: West Brom
Kwaku Oduroh - Age: 22 - Last club: Derby County
Left-backs
Brandon Williams - Age: 24 - Last club: Manchester United
Tyler Blackett - Age: 30 - Last club: Rotherham United
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson - Age: 28 - Last club: Śląsk Wrocław
Jaden Brown - Age: 26 - Last club: Sheffield Wednesday
Scott Malone - Age: 33 - Last club: Gillingham
Max Melbourne - Age: 26 - Last club: Morecambe
Jack Robinson - Age: 23 - Last club: Sheffield United
Charlie Sayers - Age: Unknown - Last club: Tottenham Hotspur
Centre-backs
Nathan Ferguson - Age: 24 - Last club: Crystal Palace
Dan Potts - Age: 30 - Last club: Luton Town
James Tomkins - Age: 35 - Last club: Crystal Palace
Ayo Obileye - Age: 30 - Last club: Livingston
Sean Morrison - Age: 34 - Last club: Rotherham United
Darnell Johnson - Age: 26 - Last club: Forest Green Rovers
Travis Johnson - Age: 24 - Last club: Crawley Town
Ciaran Clark - Age: 25 - Last club: Stoke City
Midfield
Jake Livermore - Age: 35 - Last club: Watford
Calum Butcher - Age: 33 - Last club: Motherwell
Jake Doyle-Hayes - Age: 26 - Last club: Hibernian
Jacob Davenport - Age: 26 - Last club: Morecambe
Stevie Mallan - Age: 28 - Last club: Salford City
Dru Yearwood - Age: 24 - Last club: Nashville
Jack Price - Age: 32 - Last club: Shrewsbury
Harry Kite - Age: 24 - Last club: Exeter City
Luke Amos - Age: 27 - Last club: Hibernian
Tashan Oakley-Boothe - Age: 24 - Last club: Estrela Amadora
Tom Carroll - Age: 32 - Last club: MK Dons
Jeff Hendrick - Age: 33 - Last club: Newcastle
Ovie Ejaria - Age: 27 - Last club: Reading
Joe Pritchard - Age: 28 - Last club: MK DOns
Josh Morris - Age: 33 - Last club: Motherwell
Jamie Paterson - Age: 33 - Last club: Charlotte FC
Adil Nabi - Age: 30 - Last club: Doxa Katokopias
Josh Harrop - Age: 29 - Last club: Cheltenham
Wingers
Ryan Kent - Age: 28 - Last club: Fenerbahçe
Armando Shashoua - Age: 24 - Last club: Atlético Baleares
Ben Knight - Age: 22 - Last club: Real Murcia
Brandon Barker - Age: 28 - Last club: Morecambe
Gboly Ariyibi - Age: 30 - Last club: A. Keciörengücü
Nathan Holland - Age: 26 - Last club: Forest Green
Brendan Kiernan - Age: 32 - Last club: Hartlepool
Johnny Russell - Age: 34 - Last club: Kansas City
Strikers
Tyler Burey - Age: 23 - Last club: Carlisle
Kimarni Smith - Age: 26 - Last club: Spokane
Connor Wickham - Age: 31 - Last club: Charlton
Josh Dolling - Age: 27 - Last club: Spokane
Tomi Adeloye - Age: 28 - Last club: Swindon Town
Joel Nouble - Age: 29 - Last club: WX Wugo
Austin Samuels - Age: 24 - Last club: Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Jordy Hiwula - Age: 30 - Last club: Morecambe
Matthew Dennis - Age: 22 - Last club: Milton Keynes Dons
Bobby Duncan - Age: 23 - Last club: Real Balompédica Linense
Martyn Waghorn - Age: 35 - Last club: Northampton
Jack Stretton - Age: 23 - Last club: Stockport County
While you're here, we have launched a new WhatsApp group to deliver the latest Stoke news directly to your phone. Click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in. If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave at any time by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group', simple as that.
