For the last three seasons, Stoke City had been finishing third on the table on the bounce. Probably in the first two seasons, that could have been seen as a positive but failure to improve their League finish last term was a setback for Mark Hughes. The Welsh manager had managed to improve the gameplay of the Potters since he took charge of the club but the Potters have still missed out on a Europa League qualification despite coming so close.
This transfer window was a big opportunity for the Potters to bolster their squad in order to finally make it to the top-six. Did Mark Hughes make the right use of the transfer window or the Potters stayed left behind by their rivals? Let us look at a quick review of the transfer window Stoke had.
Ins
Bruno Martins Indi – Porto, loan
Joe Allen – Liverpool, £13m
Ramadan Sobhi – Al Ahly, £5m
Ryan Sweeney – AFC Wimbledon, undisclosed
Lee Grant – Derby, loan
Wilfried Bony – Man City, loan
Cameron McJannett – Luton, undisclosed
Fees quoted from Sky Sports
Outs
Philipp Wollscheid – Wolfsburg, undisclosed
Peter Odemwingie – released
Steve Sidwell – Brighton, free
Mark Waddington – Kilmarnock, loan
Ben Barber – York City, free
George Waring – Shrewsbury, loan
Moha El Ouriachi – Shrewsbury, loan
Marc Wilson – Bournemouth, £2m
Philipp Wollschied – Wolfsburg, loan
Joselu Mato – Deportivo, loan
Fees quoted from Sky Sports
What Stoke managed to bring in
With Joe Allen, Stoke City’s midfield looks much more creative, much lively than it was before. The Welshman had a fantastic Euro campaign and was included in the Team of the Tournament. Adding a player of his caliber for just £13m represents a stunning deal from the Potters. Ramadan Sobhi, an Egyptian international, is another solid addition to the squad with his enormous potential.
Stoke had to deal with defensive problems last season and Martins Indi, with his international experience, can potentially fix those. Stoke City made two deadline day signings, both on loan. Indi was a vastly important addition but Wilfred Bony, on loan from Manchester City, gives them a whole new edge and dimension in the attack.
Stoke also managed to retain in-demand star Marko Arnautovic at the club even after plenty of speculations and that feels nothing less than a new signing. Overall, it was a good window for Stoke City.
What could still worry the fans
Stoke improved their defence, midfield and attack this summer. However, they could have gone for another central midfielder and possibly another forward given that Bony has been out of form for a long time. It’s still unclear if he’ll have the same impact that he had at Swansea considering his recent spell.
Remarks
We would Stoke City seven out of ten for the business they have done this summer.
