Stoke City boss Alex Neil makes frank January transfer admission | OneFootball

Stoke City boss Alex Neil has revealed he was required to offload players before bringing anyone else in, speaking to the Potters’ media team.

The Staffordshire outfit have already seen a few players depart the bet365 Stadium this month, with former loanee Liam Delap making the switch to Preston North End, Tariqe Fosu being recalled and sent to Rotherham United and Harry Clarke signing for Ipswich Town.

That’s three loanees they have already seen depart and more could potentially be on the way, with Gavin Kilkenny being linked with moves to Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool.

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Bringing in six loan players in the summer, only five are allowed in the matchday squad so these recent departures could give Neil the breathing room to bring some players in, with those exits potentially freeing up wages as well as loan spots.

Already being linked with the likes of Karlan Grant and Daniel Iversen, it’s currently unclear who will come in before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.

However, Neil is confident that players will be brought in this winter despite their lack of incoming activity up until this stage. though he has also hinted that he’s working within a tight budget with players needing to be moved on.

He said: “The reason players are leaving the club and are going elsewhere is because I need to make space to bring players in. If I don’t then I can’t bring anyone else in.”

The Verdict:

It will be interesting to see who goes and who comes in because there could potentially be quite a bit of movement at the bet365 Stadium in the next week and a bit.

Harry Souttar is one man who could be on his way out, though the Potters have a decent amount of power at the negotiating table and will be looking to secure the highest possible fee for him.

In fairness, they could potentially be open to a sale because that would enable the club to balance the books and give Neil the funds needed to make a real difference to the squad.

They shouldn’t be looking to offload too many players because on paper, the ingredients are still there for Stoke to secure a respectable league finish.

A deal for West Brom’s Grant could potentially be out of reach though, depending on the finances of the deal.

Iversen is another player that won’t be cheap – but he could provide real stability to the goalkeeping department and that will only help the Potters in their quest to climb up the division.