Stoke City must regret their handling of 2021 signing as he shines in the Premier League: View | OneFootball

Stoke City have had a miserable six seasons in the Championship.

Since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, the highest the club have finished in the second tier is 14th in the 20/21 and 21/22 campaigns.

The Potters have been known for being one of the largest spending and most ambitious clubs in the division, but ultimately they have failed to get anywhere near the play-off places on multiple occasions now.

There have been a lot of Stoke signings since their relegation that have failed to live up to their large transfer fees, and the expectation that comes with it.

But some have since departed, and gone on to bigger and better things since leaving the Bet365 Stadium.

One of those is Alfie Doughty.

Doughty came to Stoke with plenty of promise but failed to make an impact

The versatile Doughty started his career at League One side Charlton Athletic, whom he had been with since he was eight years old. He made his first team debut for the Addicks in August 2018, at the age of 18.

To gain more first-team experience following his debut, he joined Kingstonian on loan, scoring four goals in 16 games across all competitions. Another loan then followed in 2019, joining National League side Bromley on loan for a month in the 19/20 campaign.

Following his loan with the Ravens, he broke into the first team at Charlton on a regular basis in the second half of the 19/20 season.

He would go on to score two goals and assist four more in 29 games, as they were relegated from the Championship on the final day. He was voted the club’s Young Player of the Year at the end of the season.

He started the next season well, but he suffered a hamstring injury in a game against Northampton Town which would curtail his season. That injury did not fend off interest in the January transfer window, however.

Doughty rejected the offer of a new contract to stay at The Valley, instead choosing to join Stoke for an undisclosed fee in

After spending the rest of that season on the sidelines, he struggled to break into then-Stoke manager Michael O’Neill’s side. He only made 11 Championship appearances in his first full season at the Potters, failing to start in any.

He got more of a chance in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup - starting games and providing assists - but his cameo appearances as a replacement left wing-back in the league failed to deliver much and a lack of minutes led to him joining fellow Championship side Cardiff City on loan for the rest of the season, scoring once in nine appearances.

Doughty now starring in the Premier League

Having failed to make an impact at Stoke, he would leave to join his current club Luton Town for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2022.

The wing-back's first season for the Hatters could not have gone much better.

They would go on to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history via the play-offs. Doughty would score twice and assist five more in 31 Championship games.

This campaign, he has gone from strength to strength.

So far, he has one goal and six assists in 25 top-flight games, as Luton are fighting bravely against relegation.

averaging 2.96 successful crosses per 90, more than anyone else in the division.

The 24-year-old’s performances have even led to rumours of him being potentially called up to the England squad by Gareth Southgate.

Stoke will now be looking on with a lot of regret. Doughty will definitely be worth a lot more than the fee they sold him to Luton for, and the better he gets, the more stupid the Potters will look for letting him go and barely giving him a chance.

It looks set to go down as yet another transfer mishap since they dropped out of the top flight.