Stoke City have hit the jackpot signing international – Huddersfield Town may look on with envy | OneFootball

Stoke City may well have hit the jackpot in signing Wales international attacker Sorba Thomas from Huddersfield Town this summer.

After a difficult few years, Stoke City finally appear to have stabilised themselves and look a bit more cohesive for the 2025/26 campaign, and new signing Sorba Thomas looks set to be at the heart of their potential rejuvenation.

The Potters have endured over half a decade of underperformance in the Championship, and last season was perhaps their weakest yet as they staved off relegation on the final day of the campaign.

After the sackings of both Steven Schumacher and Narcis Pelach by the turn of the year, former Coventry City boss Mark Robins eventually steered them clear of danger, albeit his first few months remained fairly underwhelming.

The summer, as is so often the case, has brought about a fresh start and a clean slate for many players, but also seen Stoke operate smartly in the transfer market.

The team and club as a whole have enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, but Sorba Thomas in particular is beginning to look like a gem already for Stoke.

Sorba Thomas looking like a gem for Stoke City following Huddersfield Town exit

Having spent last season on loan in Ligue 1, joining Nantes from Huddersfield Town in the summer of 2024, Sorba Thomas returned to England this summer looking for another new club after the Terriers’ relegation to League One.

Thomas didn’t necessarily tear things up out in France, but he held his own and didn’t necessarily look totally out of his depth playing in one of Europe’s biggest top-flight leagues.

He is always someone that has been highly-rated in the EFL after impressively making the step up from non-league Boreham Wood to Huddersfield in 2021, and playing a key role for Town as they reached the play-off final that season.

Now it appears as though Robins, after a couple of years of stagnation, could once again be unlocking the potential of the 26-year-old Wales international.

After just two games of the campaign, so an extremely small sample size, Thomas has already provided three assists, which is the most in the Championship.

As well as that, he has also created seven chances in his two appearances thus far, which is again more than any other player in the division.

Playing out wide on the left-hand side and we can be sure that he is being given clear and defined instructions from the ever-diligent Robins, the clarity and creativity of Thomas’ play is beginning to show already, and it is beginning to look as though Stoke have struck gold.

A strong start from Sorba Thomas and Stoke City - Huddersfield Town may have envy

On the opening day of the campaign, Stoke came from behind to defeat Derby County by three goals to one in a game in which Stoke were much the better of the two sides, but did require two goals in second-half stoppage-time to eventually overcome the Rams.

Thomas provided the assist for Lewis Baker’s equaliser in that game before scoring in the 99th minute to clinch all three points for the Potters on the opening day.

After Stoke then edged past Walsall on penalties in the first round of the EFL Cup, they hammered Sheffield Wednesday by three goals to nil at Hillsborough, providing the assists for their two second-half strikes; one from Divin Mubama and the other from Million Manhoef.

Manhoef and Mubama are a part of an extremely strong attacking unit for Stoke that also boasts Bae Jun-ho, Jamie Donley and Robert Bozenik.

Those five players are forming a part of a Stoke squad and side that is already showing signs of real promise for this season, but Sorba Thomas is so far the standout man, and potentially the real point of difference, with his ceiling yet to be found just yet.

Huddersfield may already be watching Thomas' exploits in the Potteries with a tinge of envy, in spite of a strong start to the League One campaign for Lee Grant's side. They suffered their first defeat of the league season by losing 3-2 at Steve Bruce's Blackpool over the weekend, but won their opening two encounters against Leyton Orient without conceding a goal while also advancing past Leicester City in the first round of the EFL Cup, and have rightly been billed as title favourites.

Therefore, Thomas' absence may not be felt all that much in West Yorkshire. However, the reality is that he's excelling in a league above them right now and that may just leave the side wishing they had a player of his pedigree and quality still in the ranks - even if Thomas' career at Huddersfield did eventually fizzle out.