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Stoke City transfer conundrum as Narcis Pelach tasked with maximising January impact
It is a good bet that Tom Cannon, Bae Junho and Million Manhoef would be among the top three names if Stoke City supporters were asked to name the most valuable players in Narcis Pelach's squad.
But it is also short odds that the same fans would say that adding to the forward department is probably one of the priorities as the head coach heads into his first transfer window in January.
The absence of Sam Gallagher through injury, calf and then hamstring, has seen Pelach lean heavily on his main three men plus Lewis Koumas while Andrew Moran has floated as a number 10 too. Emre Tezgel has only had 228 minutes in the league and needs a loan, Niall Ennis has fallen into the fringes and Andre Vidigal hasn't really able to shake off his rust.
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It is a very young front line. Manhoef is still only 22 and in his first full season in England, Junho is only 21 and in his first full season in England, Cannon is only 21 and getting his first full season of regular football. There are nine games to come in 36 days running up to the first weekend of the new year and playing time will probably have to be managed to see their potential.
Gallagher, aged 29, is due back in December and will make a big difference if he can stay fit this time, so that will have to be managed too.
So it would be fascinating to be a fly on the wall in transfer meetings between Pelach, sporting director Jon Walters and head of recruitment Lee Darnbrough to see what kind of player they would like to bring to the party and from where. Flighty winger or strong man? Poacher or wizard?
Pelach has been throwing in names from his own little black book of contacts and players have apparently been tapping up Stoke hoping they can get the chance to work under him. Then there's a 19-year-old lad in League Two who has been banging in goals for fun hoping that he's attracting the attention of the Clayton Wood hierarchy.
It is a difficult window and clubs can charge a premium for the kind of game changer that Stoke would love. But there are also deals to be found, like getting Manhoef from cash-strapped Vitesse Arnhem last time around. There could always be a spanner in the works to change the dynamics too if someone fancies trying to take away a player from Stoke.
No one will quite be able to predict what's in store and it will be interesting to see what is unearthed in the first winter under Walters, Pelach and Darnbrough. The Championship is so tight this season that one or two pieces of really smart business could make a massive difference.
