He’s in the team purely because there has been no goalkeeper speculation as yet, probably thanks to the outrageous performances of Jack Butland. I feel as though he might be sending us a message with his decision to wear gloves when its really sunny. Does the Frenchman fancy a go between the sticks?
LB- Charlie Taylor
Taylor picked up player of the season for Leeds after his performances at full back and up the left side last season. It looks as though we face competition from Liverpool but it not yet apparent how much substance there is behind the story. The 22-year-old shows a lot of promise and will likely be looking for a big role within the squad.
CB- Neven Subotic
The Serbian centre-back has appeared 258 times for Borussia Dortmund, scoring 18 goals. He also has a wealth of international experience, making a total of 36 competitive appearances.
I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but I want you to join me again on the journey into the alternate universe where Mr. Tony Pulis is still commander in chief at the Britannia Stadium.
Crisis talks began the summer of 2014. The board informed Pulis that a change of style was important to them and the club needed to score more goals from open play, and to achieve this they would be taking control of transfer policy. This saw two legends of the game given big money moves to the Premier League. Spanish assassin David Villa left Atletico Madrid joining the Potters, describing the move as an ‘irresistible prospect’. Fans were delighted by this move, but this did not come close to the mayhem and pandemonium of Stoke’s deadline day dash for Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho. This was a signal of intent from the board who intended Tony to change the clubs style to a more attractive one, which could be sold worldwide.
If you have had your head in a hole since the end of the season (and no one can blame you for how it ended) you may not have heard about our chase for Nathan Redmond. Reports breaking recently have been suggesting that Stoke are on the verge of signing Norwich and England under 21’s winger for a reported figure of 10 million pounds.
Now that may seem a large figure for a 22 year old who has spent a great deal of his career playing in the championship, but it can actually be seen as quite a shrewd deal. First, the increase in value of home grown commodities must be taken into account. Figures automatically sky rocket when attempting to sign a domestic player, due to the rule requiring 8 domestic players within the squad, and due to our European aspirations this is even more important. Secondly, Redmond is one of the hottest prospects in the country. A player who has followed the traditional route going from the under 18’s national side to the under 21’s, where he played a pivotal role in winning the Toulon Tournament last month. Finally, the figure will be high due to the expect departure of Arnie, due to the widely reported issues with getting his pen to paper the club can, to some degree, be held to ransom due to our urgent need of wide players.
The transfer window can churn out some extreme candidates for clubs to sign when the media runs out of real news and Stoke is no exception. Being linked with unlikely candidates such as Yaya Toure and Xherdan Shaqiri (hehehe) means fans these days take most transfer rumours with a pinch of salt. However there have been some players that have been as close as hovering a pen over a contract to play for the Potters, only for the move to fade away into distant memory. Today I bring you an XI of names that will recover those memories and make us all wonder what could have been for Stoke City. Who would have signed? Who wouldn’t have been signed if they had been signed? Who have been signed instead of the person who was going to sign but didn’t sign and probably signed for someone else instead?
The positions of some have been slightly exaggerated, but needs must:
David James
Back in the Winter of 2010, Stoke looked to make a move for Portsmouth goalkeeper David James. It was the year where Portsmouth’s financial decline had meant that a nine-point penalty had all but relegated them. Stoke looked to try and help assist Pompey with their expenditure by taking the England goalkeeper on loan, but the move broke down as Stoke refused to pay the entirety of James’ wages. In the end this move never happened but Stoke did instead bring in James’ understudy Asmir Begovic for just over £3m. It looked like it worked out well after all.
Lee Cattermole
Winter 2014 saw Mark Hughes looking for midfield cover in the form of Sunderland hothead Lee Cattermole. A fee of £5m had been agreed by both clubs and Lee was a medical away from making a deadline day switch. However, Sunderland decided at the eleventh hour to perform a dramatic u-turn and cancel the deal, leaving Stoke stranded with no back-up plan so late on. Since then Stoke have failed to bring in an out-and-out defensive midfielder, relying on Glenn Whelan’s fitness and, at times, Geoff Cameron’s versatility. Cattermole is still at Sunderland and continues to fight the drop each season, poor bloke.
James Collins
In a recent interview, now West Ham centre back James Collins revealed that he almost signed for Tony Pulis and Stoke back in 2009. The Welsh international instead opted for Aston Villa before making his move back to London three seasons later. Collins said about his potential new manager: “He is from Newport and grew up not far from me, so I’ve always had a good bit of banter with him. I know boys that have played for him, but he’s a great manager and a great man.
Scott Parker
Following West Ham’s relegation back in 2011, Stoke chased for the signature of Scott Parker to boost their midfield options ahead of the upcoming Europa League campaign. Try as he might, Tony Pulis couldn’t convince Scott to move away from London (where his children were currently being schooled) and instead he signed for Spurs. He then went on to play for England and eventually joined Fulham’s unsuccessful fight against relegation from the Premier League, but Parker has been another defensive midfielder that failed to make way for the Potteries.
Mile Jedinak
In a more recent development, it was less than a year ago that a move for Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak. Although club captain, it appeared at the Australian had falled down in the pecking order since the signing of Yohan Cabaye and Stoke looked to guarantee Mile first team football. It was on deadline day where Stoke’s interest had peaked and a deal worth around £3m had been agreed between the clubs. Despite this, the player’s representatives conjured up fresh demands from Stoke and it was enough for the plug to have been pulled on yet another midfield sweeper. Making just 16 starts in the league this season, it could have been argued that some more serious competition could have been made with Glenn Whelan. But at Palace he stayed.
Javier Pastore
According to comments from one of Tony Pulis’ former backroom staff, Stoke were offered midfielder Javier Pastore for around £5m. Pulis was believed to have turned down the deal due to Pastore’s lack of physicality and doubted the impact he would have on the Premier League. A transfer story with a little less certainty to it, although Pastore is now one of the most highly rated midfielders at Paris St. Germain and certainly smashes the claimed £5m estimated worth. Let’s face it: who knows if Pastore’s development would have been the same at Stoke than it has been at PSG, but it could have meant that Stoke could have produced a truly world-class player.
Andriy Yarmolenko
For the past two Summer transfer windows, Stoke have been known to have been interested in Dynamo Kiev forward Andriy Yarmolenko. Certainly last Summer discussions between clubs and player agents took place and a deal certainly could have been struck if it wasn’t for Kiev’s club owner. His desire to keep Andriy for one more season saw Stoke miss out on the Ukrainian and looked elsewhere. Eventually Stoke snatched Xherdan Shaqiri from Inter, certainly not a bad alternative! As for Yarmolenko, his name is being whispered throughout the Premier League and a move for him looked likely this upcoming window. But who know’s where?!
Jonathan Pitroipa
Stoke looked to bring in Rennes winger Jonathan Pitroipa in a last ditch attempt on deadline day in the Winter of 2014. The deal looked to have been approved by both clubs and player and a deal looked dead certain, with the Stoke staff ordering pizza to celebrate the business. It’s unclear as to who’s fault it was that the deal was not finalised by the deadline, but it left all parties disgruntled with the failed transfer. Stoke followed up the following window by bringing in Victor Moses, Pitroipa now plays in the Arabian Gulf League. Make of that what you will.
Juan Agudelo
Stoke’s American dream was denied as Juan Agudelo failed to link up with compatriots geoff Cameron and Brek Shea. Agudelo did actually agree to play for Stoke back in Winter 2014 after his contract expired with MLS club New England Revolution, but the English FA denied Stoke a work permit and meant that the empty contract that Agudelo had signed was forced to be ran down and eventually Agudelo left for free back to New England. Stoke’s hierarchy thought that Agudelo could be worth around £10m in the future and missed out on a fantastic deal, but Stoke have materialised other good deals for strikers such as the free signing of Mame Diouf.
Demba Ba
One of the most bizarre collapses of a transfer ever, Stoke City turned down the chance to sign Demba Ba from Hoffenheim back in Winter 2011. In a deal worth around £7m, Ba was a successful medical away from joining the Potters, but indeed Ba did not pass due to a knee issue and the deal faded. Whether this was the true reason for the collapse is still unsure due to the fact that Ba has successfully signed for Newcastle, West Ham and Chelsea and must have passed medicals at those clubs. The most frustrated party appeared to be the player who thought that he had lost his big chance to make an impact in England. Luckily for him, he did go onto have many more chances and has called an end to his spell some time ago.
Loic Remy
Stoke appeared to have tempted Loic Remy to sign for them, he even got as far as being spotted and pictured in the club’s training ground finalising a move. However the move from Lille in Summer 2010 all of a sudden died and he very quickly ended up at fellow French club Marseille. Remy had been accused at the time for using Stoke as an advertising platform for a ‘bigger club’ to come and snatch him away. This seemed to have worked, after moving to QPR, Newcastle and Chelsea since that decision to turn down the Potters, but who knows what a spell at Stoke would have done for him, although he might like sitting on the bench getting paid by one of the richer clubs in England…
Who do you remember nearly signing for Stoke? And where do you think we would have been with them in? I’ll take what we’ve got now to be honest.
I’m bored, you’re bored, we’re all bored, life without football is an empty hollow one, well it is if you are as sad as the bloggers here. So to keep us all interested I decided to imagine what fresh hell our club would be in if we decided not to sack Pulis four summers ago. Whilst his style of play did get us to the Premier League it was stagnant, boring and just plain awful. So let’s hop in the Delorian and try not to shag our mothers.
The summer months were very dry for transfers under Pulis and the summer of 2013 made no difference. Erik Pieters signed for the club for 3 million (he really had no idea what he was doing to himself signing up as a full back in Pulis’ squad). Then nothing happened, at all. Carlton Cole was seen having a tour around Clayton Wood, but the transfer fell through due to a mysterious injury crisis at his current club West Ham. Nothing happened, until the night of the 2nd September, when the entire transfer team descended on the training ground, pizza deliveries in hand. With promises of new wingers and a clinical finisher to change the attacking dynamic of the squad the only player who had a photo with the Red and White shirt come the end of the night was James Collins.
Late on Saturday night, The Sun broke the news that Stoke City are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund’s Neven Subotic. According to the newspaper, Sunderland are also in the chase for the defender and both clubs have spoken to the player’s agents to discuss personal terms before approaching Dortmund regarding their player’s availability and expected fee. The player is known to be wanting a move to the Premier League and may be looking for a move after getting limited game time for his current club, however Dortmund may want to keep hold of him due to the loss of their captain, Mats Hummels. The move could either be a full transfer or a season long loan.
Subotic is a 27 year old centre back from Serbia. He moved through the ranks at fellow German club Mainz before making his switch to Dortmund in 2008. He broke into the first team straight away and has currently played over 250 games for Dortmund, scoring 18 goals. He’s also has 36 caps ad two goals with his national team, fighting for a place alongside compatriots such as Nemanja Vidic. Despite his initial emergence for club and country, Subotic hasn’t made such an impact in recent seasons: his position at Dortmund has been lost in the last couple of years and he only made 11 league appearances last season Meanwhile, he wasn’t selected at all for Serbia’s qualification matches for this Summer’s European tournament with manager Dick Advocaat suggesting that Subotic’s national career is over; which is concerning for someone who should be entering the prime of his career.
With that strange time between end of season and start of Euros, much like between Christmas and New Years, I thought id write a very tongue in cheek comparison of what, if every Premier League team were a country. Some I believe are very accurate, and some are very tenuous.
Leicester City – Papua New Guinea
You are surprised right? Well I bet you didn’t know that Papua New Guinea has the highest growth in GDP this year. Just like the surprise that Leicester gave us this season.
Arsenal – China
They don’t like changing their leaders regularly, and the views’ on the leader are mixed, but no amount of protests will get rid of him. Their use of computers is impressive they always win online polls.
Belgian midfielder linked with move to the Potteries
Stories have emerged this week regarding Stoke City and their alleged £11m bid for Zenit St. Petersburg and Belgium central midfielder Axel Witsel. Zenit confirmed that Stoke moved for Witsel this Winter with a similar bid, obviously this was unsuccessful but the Russian club also alluded to the fact that they would “fail” to keep him this Summer with Witsel’s agents dreaming of moving their client onto a bigger league. The £11m is more than likely not enough to tempt Zenit into selling straight away; but with one year left on his contract Witsel himself admitted that his club would not be looking for an extortionate amount in exchange for his services. So, what exactly would Witsel bring to Stoke City?
Witsel began his footballing career at Standard Liege, playing for them until mid-2011, when he switched to Portuguese side Benfica. He spent a singular season there before impressing Zenit enough to make a huge £30m move for him; at the time he was a 23 year old exciting prospect and it was around this time that he became one of the first names on the team sheet for his national side. I covered Witsel in my ‘One For The Money’ blog a couple of weeks ago (hint hint) and in there I identified Witsel as an all round midfield powerhouse, chipping in with his fair share of goals and assists as well as satisfying his defensive duties and turning defense into attack.
How have our new recruits been in their debut season?
Glen Johnson (Right Back)
Arrival Date: 12/07/15 | Former Club: Liverpool (England) | Fee: Free
Another Premier League veteran followed Given to Stoke on a free transfer after Johnson was released from Liverpool. He departed Merseyside with his reputation slightly faded, he had lost his place in the England team and had been behind a few young players, including Jon Flanagan, in the pecking order. However, Stoke needed new blood at right back due to the departure of club hero Andy Wilkinson and a player with vast Premier League and international experience was too much to turn down. Fans were apprehensive as to how Johnson would play in the side, but Glen was a breath of fresh air in a position that wasn’t exactly blessed with any kind of pace or attacking flair over the past few seasons. Not only were his defensive contributions useful, his link-up play with the right winger was wonderful, epitomised with his run and cross he sent in for Marko Arnautovic’s goal against Chelsea after being sent through by Shaqiri. It’s unfortunate that Johnson got injured and missed the majority of the second half of the campaign as it was his presence that contributed massively to Stoke’s great spell during the middle of the season. Providing Johnson returns to full fitness ready for pre-season following his injury, it could be a very good season for him and for Stoke City.
It seems like we can’t go a week without being linked with Saido Berahino at the minute. so we thought we would take a closer look and see how he could help develop our squad.
Goals
Saido Berahino really set the league alight in the 2014/2015 season sparking rumors of him joining Liverpool or Spurs for a fee of around 23 million. No real surprise really when you look at his stats from that year; He played 32 games in which he scored 14 goals which equates to just under a goal every other game.
He has all the attributes Stoke are missing when it comes to scoring goals in and around the box which were seriously missing in the 2015/2016 season. The 14 goals he scored in the 2014/2015 season all came from inside the box and he looked clinical when given the chance. His stats from the season just finished aren’t as impressive as he only made 17 appearances and 14 of them came from the bench due to a bust up with Tony Pulis regarding his attitude, him seeking a move away from The Hawthornes and the addition of Salomon Rondon and Ricky Lambert to their frontline.
