Lewis Baker felt his Stoke City career was ended, but he now has the opportunity to play a significant role under Mark Robins.
At the end of Radio Stoke’s Stoke City hour on Tuesday night, EFL pundit Gab Sutton speculated on what kind of transfer business Mark Robins might be looking into in January.
“One of the things Robins did at Coventry City was establish a bedrock,” he told me. “His first signings were Liam Kelly and Michael Doyle, two experienced, grizzled midfielders who knew how to battle and I think he will be looking for that balance in that squad between talent and players who can bring those intangibles.”
No one would describe Lewis Baker as weathered, but he is unquestionably the most seasoned fit and available midfielder in the Stoke squad, and at 29 years old with 293 senior games, one of the most experienced in a youthful club.
That is especially true as Enda Stevens (calf) regains health, Ben Pearson (hamstring) returns, Sam Gallagher (hamstring) is being closely monitored, and Ben Gibson is temporarily on the bench due to illness. Seven of Stoke’s starting XI from Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Plymouth are in their first full season of regular action in the Championship, with Ben Wilmot the exception.
Baker joined Stoke on a free transfer from Chelsea in January 2022, and his influence was so significant that Michael O’Neill handed him a new contract that summer to remove a £1.5 million sell-out clause, designating him captain to replace Joe Allen in the process.
In 20 starts, he had scored eight goals and assisted on another. Even if some of those were penalties, Stoke had been on such a bad run from the spot that they probably counted twice rather than one in the perspective of Stoke fans.
However, O’Neill was replaced by Alex Neil, and it is fair to say that they were not a natural fit. Baker was dropped from the team in the second half of 2022/23, was relieved of his captaincy the following summer, and would have been out if not for an injury.
He returned as Neil was replaced by Steven Schumacher, scoring a wonderful and critical free-kick winner against Rotherham, but did not appear to fit into the Schumacher system either.
He is neither a deep-lying midfielder, a persistent presser, or a quick-footed link player; he is a goal scorer who should be given the freedom to shoot from around the box or get in there for crucial touches.
Another vital goal came in a must-win game against Middlesbrough, and Robins singled him out for his ability to shoot with both feet when away at the bet365 Stadium in February.
But Baker eventually found himself on the bench again, and it was little surprise – even after going on to score the winner against Robins’ Coventry on the first day – that Schumacher sanctioned his departure in August. Out of contract in the summer of 2025, it appeared that he had played his final game as a Potter.
Baker hasn’t played every minute for a Blackburn side vying for a play-off berth, but he’s started the last four games, and John Eustace, who didn’t want to lose him, especially with Lewis Travis out, has lauded his commitment on and off the ball.
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