Stoke City are beavering away behind the scenes in the first week of what could be a busy January transfer window.
Stoke brought in 19 signings in the summer but there is a need for mid-season reinforcements and tweaks, not just because of a change in the dug-out, where Steven Schumacher has replaced Alex Neil. Schumacher wants players who can hit the ground running and suit the positive, high tempo approach he wants to implement.
This time last year, there were five new arrivals sweeping through the door at Clayton Wood – all on loan – and it will soon become clear what kind of plan Jared Dublin and his recruitment team have been putting in place over the last four months for this time around.
What positions do Stoke need?
A quick look at the current squad shows where Stoke are well-stocked and where they are vulnerable. There’s only one senior keeper and no fit senior left-back, with Ki-Jana Hoever, Lynden Gooch and Jordan Thompson pitching in during Enda Stevens’s absence – and Stevens has only started 12 of Stoke’s 26 games so far in the
