Stoke City transfer state of play as Mark Robins chases final deals and weighs up exits
Stoke City are trying to find a way to get more deals over the line in the final few days of the January transfer window as Mark Robins tries to make sure he has enough goals in the squad to pull the team up the Championship table.
Stoke have brought in two new signings so far this month, landing left-back Josh Wilson-Esbrand on loan from Manchester City and striker Ali Al-Hamadi on loan from Ipswich Town, while also seeing Tom Cannon recalled to be sold on to Sheffield United and bringing back Nathan Lowe and Lewis Baker to add to Robins’ options.
It is a difficult window as Stoke deal with constraints due to Financial Fair Play rules and an injury list that features key senior players. Robins suggested before the Oxford game last weekend that he was missing seven players who would have a good chance of being in the starting XI when fit but he has to weigh up how quickly they can return, how quickly they can find form and how much he can rely on them for the final all-important three-and-a-bit months of the season. When everyone is fit, there are 30 players who would expect to be around the first team.
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A winger seems like a safe bet to be high among the priorities, particularly because Million Manhoef is out until the spring and Bae Junho has struggled to provide game-changing moments this campaign. Junho has been taken out of the side in the last couple of weeks in hope he can be revitalised while Robins has suggested Lewis Koumas would ideally play down the middle.
Bristol City’s Mark Sykes has been the biggest link to emerge over the last few days, with reports of bids and bids knocked back. The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international has played virtually everywhere bar goalkeeper since moving to Ashton Gate in 2022 but he is at his best on the right wing. He is out of contract in the summer but there is an option for a further 12 months.
Stoke are believed to have had Koumas’s Liverpool clubmate Jayden Danns on their shortlist as an attacking option in the knowledge that his exit will probably only be sanctioned late in the window, if at all.
The 19-year-old has recovered from a back injury that left him on the sidelines for the first few months of term and Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been assessing whether to keep him close at hand or let out to gain experience. He has had a brief taste of the Premier League and FA Cup but this would be a first loan, which are always a gamble – and Stoke are already up to the maximum five they are allowed to name in a match day squad.
Whispers have continued about potential interest in Brandon Thomas-Asante, who Alex Neil was in the mix to try to sign for Stoke from West Brom in 2023. The 26-year-old striker signed for Robins’ Coventry last summer – and noises coming out of Coventry suggest that Frank Lampard would be unlikely to let a senior player leave over the next few days. Thomas-Asante has started the last five games and scored in two of the last three while Haji Wright, who has been out for nearly three months, is still not back and is expected to need a few weeks to get up to full speed once he is.
Birmingham City captain Krystian Bielik, who can play at centre-half or in central midfield – and has also filled in at right-back - has been linked with Stoke too. Blues boss Chris Davies has been adamant about having four centre-backs, however, to the extent that Dion Sanderson was allowed to leave for Blackburn only as Grant Hanley was coming in.
The arrival of Al-Hamadi might see Stoke let Niall Ennis out amid interest from League One clubs including Blackpool. The 25-year-old, who joined from Blackburn 12 months ago, is under contract until 2026.
Andre Vidigal has another 18 months left on his contract too and, with no league starts this season, is clearly available. Two goals for the under-21s in a 5-1 thrashing of Reading on Monday night might be a little nudge to potential suitors in Turkey or the United States.
Ben Pearson and Bosun Lawal, who came through 45 and 60 minutes respectively at Reading, are at least new bodies that Robins can add to his plans now, as well as Ben Gibson, who has been stepping up training this week after injury. Ben Wilmot and Sam Gallagher should be back in February, with the challenge of staying fit, and Eric Bocat shouldn’t be far behind.
Robins said last week: “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.”
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