Stoke City transfer latest as Mark Robins explains 'suck your lemon' reality
Pragmatic Mark Robins believes Josh Wilson-Esbrand can make a difference to Stoke City on the ball – but knows it will take hard work to bridge the gap to when new signings and the returning injured can get firing on all cylinders.
Left-back Wilson-Esbrand, aged 22, has joined on loan from Manchester City until the summer, having previously played for Robins at Coventry. He made an immediate debut in Wednesday’s defeat at Portsmouth, when Stoke were without eight senior players and had Ben Wilmot needing an x-ray by the end of the night.
Stoke, who take on Gary Rowett’s Oxford United at home on Saturday (12.30pm), are only two points above the relegation zone and hope to do more transfer business before deadline day on Monday, February 3.
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Robins said: “Josh has got great qualities on the ball, brilliant qualities on the ball. He needs to tighten up because he’s not used to defending that much with Man City but on the ball he’ll bring us that composure and calmness.
“But he needs games, he’s not played a lot, and that’s the other side of things when you’re bringing in players with that quality – they’ve not played a lot. We’ve got Bosun Lawal who hasn’t played a lot and we’re desperate to see him start to come to the fore too.
“The game is fast so it’s not always the case that you’ve just got to throw them in, especially in the situation we’re in. We’re not stupid – we know we have to start winning football matches to pull away from the bottom of the league but we’re involved in that at this moment in time.
“We’ve got so many injuries, we’ve had a lot of bad luck but there’s also been some not great performances over time. We’ve got to try to put that right over time – and there’s no easy fix. There is no easy fix, we’ve just got to keep going, keep working.”
It hasn’t helped Stoke that the treatment room has filled with players who are among their most senior and most physical.
Robins said: “You’ve got to get players back that are going to be able to come in and contribute – that have already contributed to a high level – and we can’t keep dipping into the market. As you know, we’re a little bit financially hamstrung at the minute.
“So we’ve got two options really, suck your lemon and get on with it and get players back fit. Those two things, those two components, will help us to move forward but it takes time. It takes a long time because there are lads who have been injured for a while, long-term injuries, and that’s not helped anyone either.”
Stoke’s current situation with financial fair play – and with only loan spot left available – means they are not in a position to be able to make sweeping changes in the transfer market this month.
Robins said: “You’ve only got a finite amount of players available to you who want to come, want to come and help in the situation we’re in at the moment. It might put one or two off but it might not put the others off, who might want to come and just go, ‘Right, let’s roll our sleeves up and get stuck in,’ because that’s what’s required now.”
So far this month, Stoke have seen Tom Cannon recalled by Leicester and have recalled Nathan Lowe and Lewis Baker from loan spells themselves. Wilson-Esbrand has joined from Man City and there have been growing links with centre-forwards including Ipswich fringe man Ali Al-Hamadi, Liverpool youngster Jayden Danns and Bristol City's Fally Mayulu.
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