Stoke City finished their last season in the Premier League at the 13th spot on the league table, ensuring grave disappointment to their fans and the club management, who had expected them to do a lot better after finishing on the 9th spot in the two previous seasons consecutively. This season will no doubt be a crucial one for them, as they will have to prove their worth as a Premier League club and make amends for their mistakes from the last term.
The Potters have already suffered probably the biggest blow of the summer transfer market as they had to let go of their mainstay in the attack, Marco Arnautovic, with the Austrian deciding in favour of a move to fellow Premier League club West Ham United. With a big void in the heart of their frontline, Stoke City are looking forward to bring in someone capable enough to take Arnautovic’s place in the first eleven.
Amongst quite a few options in hand, Mark Hughes, the man in charge at the Bet365 Stadium, is eyeing the English attacker Andros Townsend. The winger is currently playing for Crystal Palace and is imperative to the strike force of the Eagles.
The 26-year-old joined the club in 2016 from Tottenham Hotspur and has been one of the most important players in the Crystal Palace line-up for the last few seasons. His ability to score crucial goals and provide important assists has made him become one of the in-demand players in the current situation.
The Englishman has played for a plethora of clubs throughout his career including the likes of Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United and Newcastle United to mention a few. The Potters’ manager is pretty sure that this experience of the attacking midfielder will come in handy for them in the new season.
With a number of clubs interested in submitting a bid for the 26-year-old player, Stoke City are not willing to miss out on the chance and is reportedly preparing a bid of £15 million for Townsend to be brought into the side and strengthen their side for this term.
Without Arnautovic at their disposal, it is going to be a hard task for the Potters to score goals against the world class defence of the big name clubs in the Premier League. The inclusion of a player like Townsend can be the perfect boost for the club to get rid of their mistakes from the last term and have a good campaign in this one.
