Why Mark Robins pressed Stoke City recall button to sanction first deal of transfer window
Mark Robins has brought Lewis Baker back to Stoke City for his experience but mostly his quality, he says, as he prepares to put the midfielder straight back in his squad.
Baker was back at Clayton Wood yesterday and training with Stoke again after new boss Robins exercised a recall clause to end what should have been a season-long loan at Blackburn Rovers. The 29-year-old is in contention to play straight at Sunderland in the FA Cup third round tomorrow (3pm), adding a different element to a very young team.
“One of the reasons I brought Lewis back is for that but the main reason is his quality,” Robins said. “He’s got great quality and I’m hoping we can work together and get the best out of him at this stage of his career. That was part of the conversation I had with him before we did anything.”
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Robins had singled out Baker as a goal-scoring threat who Coventry had to be wary about last season – and he saw him score the winner for Stoke against Coventry on the opening day of the season before Steven Schumacher sanctioned his loan exit.
Robins hadn’t been drawing up an action plan for January including Baker’s return before his appointment but he was ready to jump to it when the chance came.
“No, this job came out of the blue,” he said. “It wasn’t like I had been planning to come and take over. After the Leeds United game, Narcis (Pelach) left the club and it was then… but I had been sat in my armchair at home having a breather. It’s my birthday just before Christmas and I’d been getting ready for Christmas Day and then we were looking to go down to see our son and grandchildren… but then this came up and this was one of the jobs, when it came up, that yes, I’m really interested, really keen. And I’m not disappointed, I’m really happy to be here and I really want to make this a success.
“Let’s make no bones about it, this I am going to make a real, real good fist of and hopefully we can take it where everyone wants it to be – but we just need that time.”
Robins has had Nathan Lowe and Tommy Simkin back from loan as well this week to at least train with the Stoke first team while they shine in Walsall’s League Two promotion charge. They have returned to the Bescot to play against Tranmere this weekend although Stoke do have recall options.
He has been keen to get to know the whole squad and for them to get to know him and his assistants Paul Nevin and James Rowberry.
“We gave them a bit of time off at first,” he said. “They were off in the early part of the week, Monday, after all the games they’d played and the fact we’d been picking up injuries. It just made sense, makes sense, to give them just a bit of time.
“Then on Tuesday we came in, trained properly and then had a get together. We just did some events together, which was really good.
“We went to The Clubhouse so darts, table tennis, mini golf and shuffleboard. We were there for a few hours, spent some money locally, which is always nice. That was good.”
