Mark Robins opens up on Tom Cannon exit and Stoke City striker search in transfer window
Mark Robins knows the loan market might be a necessary evil for Stoke City at the moment after seeing the best and worst of it with Tom Cannon.
Stoke were able to bring in a striker they wouldn’t have been able to afford due to Financial Fair Play rules and he scored 11 times in half-a-season – but he wasn’t their player and parent club Leicester, who have fielded big money interest in him this month, called him back in the hour before a recall deadline late on Tuesday night.
As of now, the 22-year-old remains at Leicester, and while there are suitors in shape of Sheffield United, Sunderland and Burnley, the door remains open for an unlikely return to Stoke if that’s how things develop over the last couple of weeks of the January window – with the possibility that FFP rules will change this summer too.
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Robins said: “Well, you always run the risk when you’ve got players on loan that when they do well it will ignite interest in them from elsewhere and Leicester are well within their rights – as we were to recall Nathan Lowe, and this was part of the reason as well because it looked to all intents and purposes like it might happen and it has.
“Tom has been brilliant in the short time I’ve known him. He’s a top, top young man and he’s done great for this football club. I wish him all the best and hopefully will see him in the not too distant future again.”
He added: “It’s circumstances. Whatever your circumstances are you have to cut your cloth accordingly and that’s been the situation here this season. That’s something we’ve got to pick our way through, the financial situation, and it is what it is. We’ve got the players we have and you’re at the mercy of parent clubs about what they want to do. We brought Nathan (Lowe) back from Walsall on that basis.
“It’s difficult because he’s been a really, really good player and a top kid as well, a really good fella. We’ll miss him, the dressing room will miss him. Maybe we haven’t seen the last of him, who knows, let’s see what happens.
“I know they are working really hard to try to resolve some gaps in the playing staff where we need to add but it is tough, it’s really difficult at this stage.”
Robins wouldn’t be pushed on the possibility of Cannon returning to Stoke. “Who knows,” he said. “He’s not our player. I don’t want to comment any further on that but let’s see how things develop.”
Stoke are scouring the striker market while they head to West Brom with Lowe poised to make his first appearance for his own club this season. Emre Tezgel, Niall Ennis and Lewis Koumas are other options down the middle while Sam Gallagher (hamstring) remains in the treatment room.
Robins said: “It changes the dynamic. When anyone leaves the building it changes the dynamic and make up of personalities so that takes some adjusting and it also leaves a void with excitement and opportunity for others. That’s what generally happens and while it’s not ideal, we’re working hard with the players we’ve got in the building and also to try to do something ourselves this January.
“January, like I’ve said before, is a really, really difficult window but everyone is working as hard as they can do in a really difficult market and at a restrictive time for the football club. We’re trying to make the best of that and navigate our way through.”
But there won’t be a new forward signed up in time to feature at the Hawthorns. Robins, when asked if that could happen, just said: “No.”
