Season Preview: Strong summer signings bode well for Stoke City to build on Michael O’Neill’s foundations

Stoke City kick-off their fourth Championship campaign this weekend in the hope that they can build on positive foundations laid by Michael O’Neill and make a push for the top six.

In the first half of the 2020/21 season, they did just that and threatened the top six. However a huge blow in the loss of Tyrese Campbell in December 2020 through injury saw the Potters slip back down the table, eventually finishing 14th.

The Staffordshire side’s top scorer last season was Nick Powell, who stepped up in Campbell’s absence. The 27-year-old scored 12 league goals through the campaign and will hope to replicate his fine form this term.

Transfers

Stoke’s summer business was started by the sale of young defender Nathan Collins to Burnley for £12 million. The fee allowed some fresh faces to arrive at Clayton Wood, as well as seeing much of the dead-wood depart.

Players including Kevin Wimmer, Moritz Bauer, Badou Ndiaye, Ryan Woods and John Obi Mikel all left on a permanent basis, whereas Benik Afobe and Peter Etebo were loaned out to Millwall and Watford respectively.

Ben Wilmot

Stoke’s first summer acquisition was Ben Wilmot from Watford, for a fee believed to be in the region of £1.5 million.

Wilmot, 21, has previously had call-ups for the England youth squads, as well as Championship experience with Swansea and Watford – earning a promotion with the Hornets in the previous campaign. Additionally, the defender had a spell in Italy with Udinese, but only made five appearances.

In pre-season, Wilmot has played in all six of the Potters friendlies and with some impressive performances has quickly become a fan favourite at the Bet365 Stadium.

Jack Bonham

Jack Bonham was the next player to sign the dotted line on a Stoke contract. The 27-year-old signed on a free from Gillingham, adding to a strong goalkeeping department, something the Staffordshire side have been blessed with in recent years.

Although Bonham may not be an immediate contender for the number one jersey, he could be crucial if the Potters found themselves in another goalkeeper injury crisis as they did last season – resulting in the emergency signings of Niki Meanpaa and Andy Lonergan when Adam Davies and Angus Gunn were ruled out through injury.

Mario Vrancic

Mario Vrancic was a player that got many fans excited when he was announced as Stoke’s third summer swoop. The 32-year-old has plenty of promotion experience from his time at Norwich City where he picked up two Championship winners’ medals from two attempts.

The Bosnian is a huge threat from long-range chances which he perfectly demonstrated in a pre-season friendly against Aston Villa, where he picked up the ball on half way before unleashing a shot from the edge of the ‘D’, and flying straight into the top-right corner.

Not only this, Vrancic is also a set-piece specialist which has again been shown during his pre-season appearances in red and white. Pinpoint corners will be crucial for Stoke, especially with towering individuals such as Harry Souttar getting forward.

His free-kick ability is magnificent too. Although he hasn’t converted one yet for Stoke, he scored many for the Canaries, which included a late equaliser against Sheffield Wednesday which put the Suffolk side on the brink of promotion in 2019.

Sam Surridge

Stoke’s latest summer signing, Sam Surridge adds to the attacking options that could help fire the Potters back to the Premier League after signing from Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old is an England U21 International, as well as having the best minutes-to-goals ratio in the Championship last season – only behind Tyrese Campbell.

Manager

Embarking on his second full season at the helm of the Potters, O’Neill is determined to set sail into the top half of the Championship.

The formation his side have played during pre-season, 3-5-2, looks set to be the Northern Irishman’s primary system for the season.

In goal, the shirt is up for grabs between Bursik and Davies, two goalkeepers who impressed during the previous campaign.

Following his side’s 2-0 pre-season victory, O’Neill said:

“He [Joe Bursik] was a contender last season when we bought him back and he played a number of games. He went out of the team after a long period in the team.

“You know, him, Adam Davies and Jack Bonham, they’re all competing for the number one jersey, and young Blondy [Nna Noukeu] has gone out on loan. But Joe won’t be going back out on loan or anything like that, he’s here to fight for the jersey.”

In defence, O’Neill tested a three-at-the-back formation towards the end of last season in the form of Morgan Fox, Souttar and Collins – as well as occasional cameos from James Chester and Danny Batth. Due to the young Irishman’s departure, Wilmot has taken on the role on the right side of the three with Alfie Doughty and Josh Tymon sharing duties at left-wing-back and Tommy Smith at right-wing-back.

Smith in particular, can unleash deadly crosses which a player like Fletcher can feed off and score crucial goals. Whist the Scotsman isn’t guaranteed a starting place himself, testament to the quality in depth that the Potters have this season with the likes of Jacob Brown, Surridge, youngsters Will Goodwin and Christian Norton, as well as Campbell when fit – players who’ll all be fighting for that starting spot.

In midfield, things look more settled, with newly-appointed club captain Joe Allen making the holding-role his own, behind the dynamic, attacking duo of Vrancic and Powell.

Key Player

Stoke’s key man this season will be Powell. Especially in the early stages of the season with the absence of Campbell, most of the Potters’ hopes fall on their number 25 if they’re to string together Play-off contending form.

Powell enjoyed a fantastic season last term, scoring 12 goals, and was deservedly voted player of the season by the Potters faithful.

The 27-year-old has a keen eye for goal, however can pick out passes incredibly well which is often the creative spark that kicks Stoke into gear if a game falls flat. Powell is also an aggressive player and has a gritty side to his play which is a key trait in the Championship, but also gets fouled very often which plays right into the hands of Stoke if Vrancic can convert the subsequent free-kick.

Youth Prospect

Stoke have produced some fantastic talent from their academy in recent years, names include Souttar, Collins and Bursik however Tyrese Campbell will be the key youngster to take the Potters’ forward this year.

The 21-year-old has been rejuvenated under O’Neill, becoming one of the key men in the side. In the 16 appearances Campbell made, he scored six goals and provided seven assists before his knee injury in December, which ruled him out of the remainder of the season.

The last campaign showed how crucial he was as in the second half of the season, his absence saw Stoke fall down the league table from Play-off contenders to ending up finishing mid-table.

If the 21-year-old can hit form on his return to the side, the Potters’ number 10 could be the difference in determining whether Stoke make the top six.

Season Targets

There’s no doubt that O’Neill and his team will hope to steer Stoke back to the Premier League, however the dreaded ‘P-word’ (promotion) has been kept on the low this summer. Whilst the past five years have been incredibly turbulent for the Staffordshire club, there’s always a sense of optimism in the air when players impress during pre-season – and in Stoke’s case remaining unbeaten against Premier League opposition.

Most fans would agree that another stable campaign would be a success, and to build on the positive foundations laid by O’Neill during his tenure so far, with more youth blooded through the campaign.

Some fans would like to see the Potters push for the Play-off places, however this may be one step too far for Stoke this season – but due to the unpredictable nature of the Championship you wouldn’t write it off before a ball has been kicked.

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