“Can be a force going forward” – Stoke City seal Chelsea transfer agreement on deadline day: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stoke City pipped other Championship clubs to sign Chelsea defender Dujon Sterling on transfer deadline day.

The 22-year-old will spend the season on loan at the Bet 365 Stadium, becoming boss Alex Neil’s first signing at the club.

As per reports, Watford tried to hijack the deal, but in the end, the Potters prevailed.

With the above in mind, we asked some of our FLW writers for their verdict on the move, and whether or not Sterling was a guaranteed starter at Stoke this season.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

This could end up being a nice bit of business by Stoke City.

During his time at Blackpool last season Sterling really caught the eye at times and if he can carry that form into his time with Stoke, this will be looked back upon as a deal well worth doing.

It does seem a good deal for the player to get regular game time, too.

In recent weeks the Potters have lined up with central defender Ben Wilmot at right-back due to injury and you’d have to think Sterling will come in and take that place from the get go.

That gives him a real chance to stake his claim for that spot going forwards.

It also speaks volumes that a club like Watford were also in for him, with the Hornets looking to challenge right at the top of the Championship table.

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Josh Cole

This could prove to be a good bit of business by Stoke who certainly needed to bolster their squad in this particular position.

With Harry Clarke currently recovering from injury, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Sterling is handed the chance to impress in the club’s upcoming league fixtures.

Whereas the defender only managed to average a WhoScored match rating of 6.55 in the Championship last season, there is no reason why he cannot go on to excel under the guidance of Alex Neil.

Having managed to get the best out of Sunderland’s players last season, Neil will be confident in his ability to replicate this success with Sterling at the bet365 Stadium.

Adam Jones

Sterling could end up being an excellent addition as a player who’s suited to the wing-back role.

He’s already shown that he can be a force going forward from his time at Coventry City a few years ago – and he will be hoping to record as many assists as possible to try and force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans.

With Tommy Smith departing and Harry Clarke out of action, you feel as though the right wing-back area was one they needed to address and he has the necessary experience to be an asset at the bet365 Stadium.

The only real downside of this move is the fact it’s another loan deal and that takes their loanee tally to six, potentially leaving them with a considerable amount of work to do once again next summer to replace these temporary additions.

He may not be a guaranteed starter when Clarke is back – but he won’t be happy with being on the bench so expect a real tussle for a spot in the first 11.