Stoke City should push to sign Ali Al-Hamadi and Middlesbrough attacker as soon as next week.

Stoke City should push to sign Ali Al-Hamadi and Middlesbrough attacker as soon as next week.

Stoke City will be hoping for a positive January transfer window to improve upon their lowly league position, with optimism on the rise since the recent appointment of Mark Robins.

 

Since suffering relegation from the Premier League back in 2017/18, the Potters are still yet to assert themselves as a dominant force in the Championship, despite the fact that many expected them to do just that in their first campaign back at this level, six years ago.

 

After a number of tried-and-tested managers were unsuccessful at the bet365 Stadium, Stoke went for a different approach with the appointment of Narcis Pelach, but the inexperienced 36-year-old was unable to change the club’s fortunes, and they have now turned to Robins as the latest man in the dugout.

 

Robins has suggested his side are going to be active in the January transfer window amid injuries to key players. He became Stoke’s third permanent manager of the 2024/25 campaign when he was appointed on New Year’s Day following the sacking of Pelach, who was dismissed just three months after replacing Steven Schumacher at the helm.

 

Robins spoke via the Stoke Sentinel in his opening press conference: “It’s notoriously tough, January. Really, really tough to operate in any way. We’ll make sure, again, everything is aligned, and we don’t make any mistakes where we can damage the next window that opens, which is a really big window for us in the summer.

 

“But we’ve got to make sure we’ve got enough to be able to be really competitive this time around. We’ve got to keep the players moving in that forward direction and trying to ensure that the energy is there to be able to do that. There are injuries to key players in key positions so there’s a slight imbalance to things.

 

“There’s some young players there, it’s a youngish squad anyway. But it looks exciting. We’ve just got to make sure we keep it moving in that direction. We’ll do the work in the background to make sure things move forward properly and we’ll get it done.”

 

The Coates family have injected plenty of money into the club, but it’s fair to say they haven’t operated very well in recent years and this has led them to their current predicament, facing relegation to League One. They will need wise transfer decisions as they look to finally push on in the Championship this season and are set to be busy in the January transfer window after some poor recent form.

 

Here, we outline TWO signings that they should be looking to make as soon as possible, with the window opening this week.

Leicester City possess a recall clause in the loan agreement for Tom Cannon, as reported by Alan Nixon. The reported clause means that Leicester could loan him out again or look to cash in on him in January. Therefore, Stoke are still in need of a striker to either support or replace Cannon and seem to be lacking realistic domestic options.

 

With that said, they need to focus their attention elsewhere to make sure their strikeforce is bolstered ahead of the run-in post-January, and they should be looking to sign Ipswich Town forward Ali Al-Hamadi. He has enjoyed a stunning rise to the top in recent years and currently plies his trade with Ipswich in the Premier League after he joined from fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon in the January window last year.

 

Al-Hamadi helped Kieran McKenna’s side achieve a historic promotion from the second tier in May. The Iraqi international mostly featured off the bench in the second half of last season, and while he did bag some important goals for the Tractor Boys, he was always likely to find opportunities at a premium in the top flight and could be set to leave on loan this month.

 

Stoke should be one of those clubs interested, as the 22-year-old would be the perfect signing to add some much-needed firepower to their lacking attack after the side were the sixth-lowest scorers in the Championship last season and are not scoring freely outside of Cannon this season.

 

Sam Gallagher has arrived at the bet365 Stadium this summer but is lacking goals regularly, while neither Niall Ennis nor Emre Tezgel have proven goal records at the second-tier level, and their futures also remain uncertain. Al-Hamadi has not spent long in the Championship as yet in his career, but he displayed some clear quality and clinical striking ability last season.

 

That could aid Stoke’s chances of pushing up the table in this campaign if he is signed before the window shuts, and preferably during the next few weeks.

Isaiah Jones

Football League World exclusively revealed recently that versatile Middlesbrough wide man Isaiah Jones is looking to leave the Riverside Stadium in January due to his lack of opportunities in Michael Carrick’s side so far this season. Million Manhoef’s injury will surely have fast-tracked their plans for winger additions this month, and the out-of-favour Middlesbrough man would be an ideal new signing.

 

Manhoef has suffered medial collateral ligament damage and is set to be out of action for eight to 12 weeks in the middle of a hectic December and January schedule, so the Potters need to act fast to replace his lack of availability in the new year.

 

Stoke-on-Trent Live have reported that Manhoef is set to be out for at least two-and-a-half months after limping out of his side’s draw against Cardiff City after 61 minutes, as scans revealed that the injury was worse than initially feared. Jones has built a reputation as a quick, direct wide player that can feature at either right-wing or right-wing back over the last few seasons, so would be a solid addition.

 

Despite a good 2023/24 campaign, he has fallen down the pecking order under Michael Carrick this term. The 25-year-old is set to be available on loan this month and can shine in the second tier when given a chance, so Stoke should make his capture a priority as soon as possible in the January window, as they seek alternatives to the injured Manhoef.

 

He is surely not set to be short of suitors in the new year, given his versatility and clear Championship quality, with the Northern Echo recently reporting that second-tier clubs are monitoring his situation. Robins has opted for a wing-back system previously, as well as a natural 4-2-3-1, with Jones able to operate in either comfortably; it’s a no-brainer addition as soon as possible.

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