Stoke City may regret not capitalising on Luton Town player call: View | OneFootball

The Potters should sign trialist Fred Onyedinma to add much-needed depth to their squad

Stoke City are set to be busy in the final month of the transfer window as boss Steven Schumacher shapes his new-look squad ahead of his first full campaign in charge.

Schumacher will be hoping to build on a strong end to last season in the coming months, as Stoke staved off relegation and finished 17th in the Championship in 2023/24.

The Potters are yet to sell any player for a transfer fee this summer, yet have brought in four new faces to the club so far, with goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, centre-back Ben Gibson, wing-back Eric Bocat and striker Sam Gallagher arriving from Rotherham United, Norwich City, Sint-Truiden and Blackburn Rovers respectively.

Schumacher has not added to his wide attacking areas so far this summer, but took winger Fred Onyedinma on trial with his squad last week, as he seeks to find a new club after departing Luton Town upon the expiry of his contract in July.

The 27-year-old was seen training with Stoke's first-team in an open session at the bet365 Stadium on August 1, but any rumours of his potential permanent arrival in ST4 have since gone quiet.

Stoke should bring him in before the close of the window, as he would be a shrewd addition to Schumacher's squad and provide much-needed depth on the wings for the season ahead.

Onyedinma is a proven Championship commodity

While he was made a free agent this summer despite Luton's relegation to the second-tier, the reaction surrounding Onyedinma's departure proved just how appreciated he was by Hatters fans for his efforts in his three-year spell at the club, and he penned an emotional message to the Kenilworth Road faithful upon the news of his exit.

Prior to his time with Luton, Onyedinma came through the ranks at Millwall and played in their first-team, and also became a Wycombe Wanderers legend across three separate spells at Adams Park.

He first joined Wycombe on loan from Millwall in 2014/15, and shone in League Two, then was a part of the Lions squad for three seasons and was a near ever-present as he helped them win promotion to the Championship in 2016/17.

The Lagos-born winger returned to HP12 three years later with Wanderers in the third-tier, again on loan from The Den, and soon finally made a permanent move to Adams Park in July 2019.

Onyedinma played a key role in the Chairboys' first-ever promotion to the Championship in 2020, as he won the penalty that led to their match-winning goal in the League One play-off final against Oxford United, and wrote himself into club folklore in the process.

His first campaign back in the Championship was a successful one on a personal level, as he registered three goals and four assists in a poor Wycombe side, which earned him a move to the Hatters that summer.

He was reported to be open to a fourth return to the club earlier in the summer by the Bucks Free Press, but no new updates have come to light since, and it seems more likely that he gets a move to the second-tier given his last few seasons with Luton.

Onyedinma featured 52 times across his first two seasons at Kenilworth Road, and was a part of their squad that won promotion to the top-flight last year, as he made it three from three in play-off finals in his career.

He went out on loan to Championship side Rotherham United last season and was an ever-present before injury in November, then was recalled back to Rob Edwards' team in January, amid a raft of injuries, and went on to play eight times in the Premier League in the second-half of the campaign.

Onyedinma would be a smart signing for Schumacher

Given his bags of second-tier experience and free agent status, it would be a shock if Stoke were the only club interested in bringing in Onyedinma this summer, which makes it all the more reason to capture his services quickly.

Stoke are yet to bring a winger in so far this summer, but look to be in the market for one as they ramp up their transfer business with deadline day drawing ever closer.

The Potters recently welcomed Blackburn Rovers striker Sam Gallagher to the bet365 Stadium for a fee of up to £1.5m, and while they are not hamstrung by financial fair-play regulations as badly as in recent years, a flexible free signing like Onyedinma would make a lot of sense for Steven Schumacher as he looks to bolster his ranks in multiple different positions.

The 27-year-old is a right-winger by trade, but has previously featured in a host of roles across the pitch, including left-wing, centre-forward, attacking midfield, central midfield, right wing-back and right-back, so he could offer a seriously versatile option to the Potters head-coach if he is brought in soon.

Onyedinma would be able to give competition to the likes of Million Manhoef, Andre Vidigal and Bae Jun-ho in the wide attacking positions, as well as likely provide a strong back-up to right-back Junior Tchamadeu, who is Stoke's only out-and-out first-team player in that position as it stands.

He would also bring a wealth of Football League pedigree to a Potters squad that was possibly lacking that last season, after so many overseas arrivals in the summer, as well as experience of successful EFL teams after helping Millwall, Wycombe and Luton to respective promotions in 2017, 2020 and 2023.

Stoke should look to bring him in as soon as possible, with numerous injuries ahead of their opening weekend clash against Coventry City meaning Schumacher may soon become somewhat desperate for new additions to reinforce his squad.