“Going to need centre-back’s” – Stoke fan pundit reacts as Potters linked with move for 23-year-old ahead of January window | OneFootball

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

Stoke City are keen on signing Hibernian central defender Ryan Porteous in January.

Reports first surfaced that the Potters held an interest in the 23-year-old last month, and then, they were given a huge boost when Hibs confirmed Porteous would be sold in the near future, most likely in January, after failing to agree a new deal at Easter Road.

They face stiff competition, though, with reports claiming that as many as six Championship sides are chasing Porteous’ signature.

These include Watford, West Brom, Norwich, Sunderland, Millwall and of course, Stoke.

With the Porteous links in mind and January approaching, we asked FLW’s Stoke City fan pundit Ben Rowley for his thoughts on whether or not the Scottish defender would be a good addition at the Bet 365 Stadium.

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“I must admit I don’t know a lot about Porteous but he seems to be relatively highly rated and I’ve said before that Stoke are going to need centre-backs in the future.” Ben explained to FLW.

“Aden Flint and Phil Jagielka are ageing, and Harry Souttar, I imagine, will be playing away from Stoke either in January or the summer and we’re going to need a replacement for all of those.

“Porteous might be the man and for a reasonable transfer fee, that would be a good win as well.”

The Verdict

Stoke City’s defensive situation clearly sounds worse than I realised.

You can also chuck into the above mix that Phil Jagielka’s current contract runs out at the end of this month, too, making it a really important period for the Potters.

No doubt Alex Neil would like to bring in reinforcements given that results have not been going the club’s way of late.

Whether or not they will be able to beat off the stiff Championship competition for Porteous’ signature remains to be seen, though.