The transfer window has left Stoke City and Mark Robins with one clear problem | OneFootball

Stoke needed a winger but failed to sign one over the last month

Stoke City's winter transfer window has not gone how many supporters would have expected it to, with just two loan signings across the month due to the Potters' facing potential financial fair play (FFP) restrictions if they were to spend more than they are allowed to.

The Potters began January with the exciting announcement that Mark Robins was set to take over as manager following Narcis Pelach's mid-December sacking, and while there has been a marked improvement in terms of performances on the pitch, it does feel as if his squad is short in numerous positions, with one in particular an area of real concern.

That would be fine if Stoke had enjoyed a better first-half of the season and were mid-table in the Championship, but that is not the case, as they sit in 18th place as it stands, just five points above the relegation zone, so they have taken somewhat of a gamble to not add more new faces over the last four weeks.

In particular, Stoke needed to sign a winger over the last month, with Robins dealing with numerous injury issues in wide areas, as well as having to constantly start players that have been inconsistent this season.

Even though they seemingly tried to add players to their squad in the wide positions, they were unable to bring in another much-needed winger, and now have left themselves short in a relegation battle for the next few months.

Stoke were linked with wingers in January but failed to get a deal over the line

The Potters' two signings in the winter window were Ali Al-Hamadi and Josh Wilson-Esbrand, each on loan deals from Ipswich Town and Manchester City respectively, while Lewis Baker, Nathan Lowe and Ryan Mmaee were recalled early from their temporary spells with Blackburn Rovers, Walsall and Rapid Vienna.

Robins did not sanction a single permanent exit from his first-team squad, but Niall Ennis was loaned out to League One outfit Blackpool, while the most important bit of business involving the Potters saw top-scorer Tom Cannon recalled by Leicester City.

They did seemingly try to get a winger in to bolster their options in wide attacking areas, with Hibernian winger Elie Youan linked throughout the window as Stoke were reported to have put in a £1.5m bid for his services last week.

STV claimed that the Potters had approached Hibs over a deal for the 24-year-old at that price, but the move never materialised, and StokeonTrentLive have since claimed that it was Stoke who walked away from the situation, with the Scottish side likely asking for more than they were willing to pay.

Versatile Bristol City midfielder Mark Sykes was another who the Potters were believed to be interested in, but an apparent bid for his services was soon exclusively revealed by Football League World to have been rejected.

The Republic of Ireland international, who has featured on the wing recently for the Robins, then went on to sign a new deal at Ashton Gate, so any rumours of him being on his way to the Potteries were completely quashed.

Crystal Palace utility man Jeffrey Schlupp was another who Stoke found themselves tentatively linked to at some point in the window, but it was a deal that always looked unlikely due to the finances involved, and he instead made a Deadline Day loan move to Celtic.

Stoke have left themselves short in wide attacking areas for rest of 2024-25

Heading into the new year, Stoke were in real need of new attacking reinforcements for the second-half of the season, yet they look to have arguably come out of the window in a slightly worse position in terms of their talent and reliability in attack.

Cannon's recall was a big blow, so while Tractor Boys loanee Al-Hamadi netted on his debut against Hull City, and Lowe has impressed in his first few weeks back in ST4, neither are as proven scorers in the second-tier as the Leicester man, and could each hit respective rocky patches over the next few months.

In terms of wingers, it seemed like a given that Robins would look to strengthen in that position after being hired at the start of the month, yet with the window now closed, no new, much-needed additions have been made.

The Potters have been without star man Million Manhoef for over six weeks now, after he suffered medial collateral ligament damage against Cardiff City in mid-December, and their attacking form has taken a dip since, with the club now the lowest scorers in the Championship with just 28 strikes as a team in 30 league games so far.

The likes of Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas and last season's Player of the Year Bae Jun-ho have played consistently over the course of the campaign, but have each struggled at times and been relied on too heavily, while Andre Vidigal has been massively out-of-favour and Sam Gallagher is an option out wide, but has been injured more often than not.

As a result of that predicament, utility man Lynden Gooch, midfielder Andrew Moran, and even new full-back recruit Wilson-Esbrand have all featured on the wing at times over recent months, which is not ideal for a team that needs to score goals to stay up this season.

Stoke have taken a gamble on Manhoef being back fit soon by not delving into the market for a new winger signing, because they are clearly very short in wide attacking areas on both the left and right side, and that could come back to bite them if they suffer more injuries and are relegated to League One come May.