Barry in: Stoke City can have a dream week in the January transfer window with these 2 deals

Barry in: Stoke City can have a dream week in the January transfer window with these 2 deals

Although Stoke City hasn’t made any significant roster additions during the January transfer window, Mark Robins

will undoubtedly want to expand his team and let go of some unpopular players in the upcoming weeks to leave his

mark on his new team.

As the Potters try to avoid Championship relegation this year, the club will surely admire Robins’ experience and

savvy as they take on their third manager or head coach of the season.

In addition to working with Potters sporting director Jon Walters and the recruitment team on potential incomings

that the club has identified over the last few months, he is likely to have his own transfer targets from his time at

Coventry. As the deadline approaches, business is undoubtedly going to pick up speed.

In light of this, FLW has selected two transactions that would make this January transfer window a dream week for Stoke.

In: Louie Barry

Since Louie Barry has been among the best players in League One this season at Stockport County, it was not

surprising when Aston Villa called him up at the beginning of this month to loan him back to a Championship team.

Stoke, along with many other teams, should be in queue to sign him.

The 21-year-old scored 16 goals and provided three assists in 24 games across all competitions for the Hatters. He

was named the EFL Young Player of the Month for August and League One Player of the Month for both August and

November due to his outstanding play in the first half of the season.

Barry’s performance appears to have drawn the attention of many second-tier clubs to his possible availability. In

November, Birmingham World reported that Villa felt he would be more suitable for a loan in the Championship,

and second-tier Middlesbrough was rumoured to be keeping an eye on his availability before the new year.

After being called up to Villa Park in recent weeks, teams like Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday have entered

the race for his services, and Stoke is reportedly interested in joining teams like QPR, Sheffield United, and Coventry

City. Previous reports from TEAMtalk have indicated that Stoke is interested in joining these teams.

Even though Stoke would undoubtedly love to sign Barry this month, given the level of interest in his services and

the potential impact he could have on Robins’ team, it would be a dream deal. His list of suitors has only gotten

longer, as both Hull City and Millwall have reportedly expressed interest in signing him on a loan.

Given his history of developing players as Coventry manager, Robins’ appointment as Potters manager may be a

major factor in luring players like Barry to the bet365 Stadium. Additionally, Stoke needs wide-area additions to

inject more firepower into an attack that is primarily centred on supporting Tom Cannon.

Out: Andre Vidigal

There was understandable fanfare surrounding Andre Vidigal’s arrival in the Potteries last July, due to his previous

pedigree as a Portuguese youth international and impressive exploits in the Primeira Liga with Maritimo in 2022/23,

but his time at Stoke looks to be coming to a natural end very soon.

During his first few games, Vidigal appeared to be worth every cent of the rumoured £450,000 the Potters spent to

sign him. He scored two goals to help his team defeat Rotherham United 4-1 on the first day of the league season and

then went on to score three more goals in his next five games across all competitions, including game-winning goals

against West Brom and Watford.

Although he played consistently well into the season, manager Alex Neil was fired before the year ended and

replaced by Steven Schumacher. The former Plymouth head coach originally trusted him, but as Bae Jun-ho’s skill

declined, his playing time quickly decreased.

After making an impression when he first arrived, Vidigal lost favour over time and only made the starting eleven

once in the last 15 league games of the previous season. He will be wondering where it all went wrong for him in Star

League Four.

Go forward!According to a September TrentLive report, the 26-year-old was rumoured to have rejected late-season

offers from Turkey and Qatar, with high salaries reportedly on the table. However, he has failed to establish himself

in the team consistently this season, making just 10 league appearances and not making a single start thus far.

This month, Stoke is probably going to try to bolster their forward lineup with players like Barry, which would open

the door for Vidigal to leave in the coming weeks.

Given his lack of impact off the bench thus far this season, it appears doubtful that he will have a positive impact on

the team in the upcoming months. As a result, the Potters will undoubtedly want to approve a move away in order to

get his salary off the books and make room in their roster for an attacker.

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