Stoke City's first deal of transfer window is a no brainer for Mark Robins
There was an interesting call at the end of Radio Stoke’s Stoke City hour on Tuesday night when EFL pundit Gab Sutton mulled over what kind of transfer business would be on Mark Robins’ agenda in January.
“One of the things Robins did at Coventry City was establish a bedrock,” he said. “His first signings were Liam Kelly and Michael Doyle, two experienced, grizzled midfielders who knew how to battle and I think he will be looking for that balance in that squad between talent and players who can bring those intangibles.”
Well, no one would call Lewis Baker grizzled but he is immediately certainly the most experienced fit and available midfielder in the Stoke squad and, at 29 with 293 senior appearances under his belt, one of the most experienced in a young squad.
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That is especially the case while Enda Stevens (calf) builds up fitness, Ben Pearson (hamstring) returns, an update is awaited with bated breath on Sam Gallagher (hamstring) and Ben Gibson is currently on the bench after illness. Seven of Stoke’s starting XI from Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Plymouth are playing their first full season of regular football in the Championship – and only Ben Wilmot wasn’t in his first full season for Stoke.
Baker had signed for Stoke on a free transfer from Chelsea in January 2022 and his impact was such that Michael O’Neill gave him a new contract that summer to remove a £1.5 million sell-out clause, making him captain to replace Joe Allen into the bargain.
He had scored eight times and set up another in 20 starts. Even if some of those were penalties, Stoke had gone through such a wretched run from the spot that they probably counted double rather than less in the eyes of Stoke supporters.
But O’Neill was replaced by Alex Neil and it is fair to say that they were not natural bedfellows. Baker lost his place in the team in the second-half of 2022/23, was stood down as captain the following summer and might have been off if he hadn’t been injured.
He came back as Neil was being replaced by Steven Schumacher – scoring a fantastic and crucial free-kick winner at Rotherham – but didn’t seem to properly fit in the Schumacher system either. He isn’t a deep-lying midfielder nor a relentless presser or quick-footed link player, he’s a goal scorer and needs to be given licence to shoot from around the box or to get in there for vital touches.
There was still another important goal, in a must-win against Middlesbrough, and Robins singled him out for his threat shooting with both feet when he was in the away dug out at the bet365 Stadium in February.
But Baker gradually ended up on the bench again and it was no great surprise – even after coming on to score the winner against Robins’s Coventry on the opening day – when Schumacher sanctioned his exit in August. Out of contract in the summer of 2025, it seemed certain he had played his final game as a Potter.
Baker hasn’t played every minute for a Blackburn side which is fighting for a play-off spot but he’s started the last four games and John Eustace, who didn’t want to let him go especially while Lewis Travis is injured, has praised his contribution on and off the pitch.
Stoke won’t have a lot of cash to spend this month because of Financial Fair Play rules and beyond 10-goal Tom Cannon, there’s the Gallagher situation and Million Manhoef has been ruled out until March. Here is someone to add for free who is fit and available and can score goals.
No one knows what will happen in the long-term but, in the short, this feels like a no brainer.
Robins knows his strengths because he’s had to try to counter them before. Now it’s over to Baker to pull on his shooting boots and try to have a bit of fun.
