Stoke City transfer state of play and PSR hurdle as Mark Robins ticks one box
By Mark Robins' own admission, his start to life at Stoke City has been a whirlwind - and the sheer fact we're a third of the way through the January transfer window hasn't helped ease the immediate list of tasks which need addressing in his in-tray.
Stoke are 17th in the Championship but have knitted three clean sheets together since the departure of Robins' predecessor Narcis Pelach - including against top four sides Sunderland and Burnley. However, their pursuit of a Championship revival will pause this weekend when they tackle the Mackems again, but this time in the FA Cup (kick-off 3pm Saturday).
Robins is still getting up to speed with what exactly he has at his disposal, having only been able to oversee a full week of training with the squad in the past few days. Simultaneously, he is learning about what the group could do with by way of an addition or two - all, of course, within the confines of what the club are able to do according to PSR.
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Stoke exploited the loan market in the summer when recruiting Ashley Phillips, Andrew Moran, Lewis Koumas and Tom Cannon from Premier League sides, and they could still explore similar possibilities this month. As the next fortnight or so unfolds, it could make for an interesting recruitment drive before the deadline at the beginning of February.
"The honest answer is I don't know, because that's not my role. I know we can do some things, but we are restricted in what we can do," Robins said. "That's all down to the PSR rules, and we have to try and work within those and maximise what we can do. That's what we're looking to do going forwards. What we have been able to do is provide a training ground which is second to none.
"The stadium is absolutely fantastic. The facilities here are brilliant and we want to make sure we build and utilise whatever resources we've got to the best of our ability and take the club forward as quickly as we possibly can - but it will be on an incremental basis. There are restrictions in this window, but we will work as hard as we possibly can to make things better.
"We've got [sporting director] Jon Walters here who has been fantastic and is in all the time, works his socks off and he's there for everybody and wants to help."
One move within Robins' immediate control has been the power to recall Lewis Baker from his loan spell with Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers; the midfielder, who scored the winner against Robins' Coventry on the opening day of the season, has played 13 times for Rovers but is now back in the Potteries. Robins, it's fair to say, is a fan of the player.
"It's a great re-signing. It is," he added. "I really like Lewis and I've liked him for a long time. He's got a great pedigree, a great understanding of Stoke, he's been here a long time. He's good on and off the ball, more on the ball and what he brings, which is quality. He's a quality Championship player and you can't have too many of them.
"He's incredibly experienced at Championship level. You can't have enough people around like Lew, he knows the players - or the majority of them - and he is somebody who wanted to come back, which was important in the conversations I had. He comes back and I'm delighted to have him here and working alongside him. "
