Doughty signs for Stoke with Premier League intent

Stoke City confirmed their fourth January signing this week and their first permanent one of the transfer window with 21-year-old winger Alfie Doughty joining The Potters from League One Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee.

Doughty has joined a club looking to get back into the top-flight and he made his intentions clear early on saying, “When I think of Stoke, I think Premier League. From that moment, I was thinking I want to join this team, do my bit and hopefully be in the squad to take them back to the Premier League.”

Photo: Stoke City

Alfie Doughty, Stoke’s new signing, is a fast and creative winger looking to be part of promotion and Premier League success with Stoke City. Doughty is known to shoot from distance as well as dribble past his opponents. All traits that the promotion chasing Potters have struggled with in recent matches.

He can also play as a left back or a centre midfielder, and given Stoke’s recent injury problems in those areas he could be very effective, providing more depth to a squad that already consists of Joe Allen, John Obi Mikel, Tyrese Campbell and James McClean.

Doughty clearly has high ambitions and the unique selling point with Stoke was the possibility of Premier League football which fended off interest from Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers who were both after his signature. The player and the club’s ambitions both match which can only be positive for the club and their acquisition.

Whilst Doughty’s ambition is the Premier League, he has impressed for Charlton in the Championship, and continued to be one of their most impressive players at a young age, despite relegation to League One.

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With Michael O’Neill building a young and ambitious side Doughty should be well suited to Stoke City and the project that they’re building for the future. The youthful nature of a side featuring players such as Harry Souttar, Nathan Collins and Tyrese Campbell has proved effective with Stoke sitting in eighth place in the Championship table, having an outside chance of making the play-offs and reaching the Premier League.

Stoke City’s ambitions of Premier League football have been there since they were first relegated in 2018, with fans have been desperate to get back, but it hasn’t proved to be easy. The club have changed managers from Gary Rowett to Nathan Jones who both endured tough times at the helm. Stoke under Rowett were in 13^th place before he parted company with the club and Nathan Jones’ first year ended in 16^th and was sacked whilst Stoke languished in the relegation places.

However, under Michael O’Neill there seems to be a lot more positivity around the club, building the club around young and hungry players with a mix of experience has seen Stoke go from relegation contenders to play-off contenders in less than a year.

Recent form has suggested anything but, however performances have looked promising in recent weeks despite results and there is a quiet confidence around the club that they will return to the Premier League under Michael O’Neill and Doughty will achieve his Premier League dream.

The news of Doughty’s arrival came on the same day as fan’s favourite Thibaud Verlinden announcing he was leaving the club on a permanent basis for Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard. Doughty could either be seen as an upgrade on the Belgian or a like for like replacement as Verlinden searches for game time away from Stoke and Doughty looks to develop into a Premier League player for the future.

Stoke fans will have to wait to see Doughty playing in the red and white of Stoke as he recovers from a hamstring injury sustained against Northampton Town in October last year. Doughty said in an interview when signing for Stoke that he hopes to be back before the end of the season.