£3m Wolves deal was exactly what Stoke City needed amid uncertainty | OneFootball

Danny Batth brought some much-needed solidity to the Potters' backline

Stoke City have not had many reliable defenders over the years since their relegation from the Premier League, particularly ones that have come up with big moments at both ends of the pitch in their time at the club, but Danny Batth became exactly that after his move from Wolves in January 2019.

The abject failure that was Stoke's 2018 summer transfer window will be remembered for years to come, but after struggling on their return to the Championship under Gary Rowett, the club continued to invest in January to try and solve their problems with Nathan Jones in charge.

Batth was one of those winter signings, and while most from that season failed, like Sam Vokes, Benik Afobe and Tom Ince, he was able to improve the Potters' backline and went on to become a key player for the club while they battled relegation and then looked to break into the top-half over the next few seasons.

Stoke did not need anyone flashy at that point in time, and the Dudley-born centre-back was the ideal player for the Potters as they aimed to avoid a shock drop into League One. He is still a solid Championship player to this day, at 34-years-old, and it was a mistake for the club to let him go as soon as they did.

Danny Batth was a solid defender for Stoke City after moving from Wolves

Batth had been a top Championship defender over a number of years prior to his Stoke switch, after he had come through Wolves' academy to play 212 times for them between 2010 and 2018, and had helped them win promotion from both the third and second-tier.

He joined the Potters for an initial £3 million in late January 2019 on a three-and-a-half-year contract, as new boss Jones looked to bring in some of his own players and help the club improve over the second-half of the campaign.

Batth instantly commanded respect in the dressing room at the bet365 Stadium, and was given the captain's armband upon arrival for his first four games as a Stoke player. He featured 17 times in his first half-season and did not miss a minute of league action, as the Potters' defence improved massively with eight clean sheets in that time.

Stoke started the 2019/20 season terribly, so Jones was sacked in November and replaced by Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill, and Batth remained a regular across the whole campaign under both managers as he began to influence games heavily at both ends of the pitch.

The Potters headed into the last few games of the COVID-19-affected campaign in vital need of points to avoid a shock relegation to the third-tier, and that was when the towering centre-back really came into his own. He netted three goals in the final four outings of the season, including a huge equaliser against Bristol City, as O'Neill's side jumped up to finish in 15th place.

Batth remained a key man once again in his second full term at the bet365 Stadium, with 32 appearances in all competitions as the Potters improved across the season under O'Neill, but his game-time became limited in 2021/22 as the likes of Ben Wilmot and Leo Ostigard joined and were focal to Stoke's surprise playoff push.

Given his age and experience, it was no shock that then-League One side Sunderland moved to snap him up on a free transfer in January 2022, and given the solid time he has spent in the Championship since gaining promotion with the Black Cats that summer, in hindsight, it was maybe a mistake by the Potters to let him leave at that point.

Danny Batth has continued to impress in the second-tier since his Stoke City exit

Stoke failed to build on their impressive start to the season in which Batth left halfway through, and are still yet to finish in the top-half of the Championship in the two full seasons since his departure, which certainly looks unlikely to change in this campaign.

Batth, meanwhile, has continued to be a decent performer in the second tier of English football. He was clearly a fish out of water in League One, even at 31-years-old, as he featured for all 270 minutes of the play-offs and the Black Cats won promotion under Alex Neil.

He remained a key man at the Stadium of Light in the Championship, and made 40 league appearances in 2022/23 as they just missed out on the second-tier play-offs. He was even named as the club's Player of the Season for his impressive performances.

The 34-year-old joined Norwich City ahead of last season on a one-year contract, after his Sunderland deal had run out, and was a rotational player with 20 appearances as the Canaries finished sixth in the Championship, but lost out to Leeds United in the play-off semi-finals.

Batth made another second-tier move last summer, this time to Blackburn Rovers, and he has been an important player at Ewood Park up to now with more big moments in front of goal, including a late winner against Leeds United in January.

When all is said and done in his career, Batth will have numerous former clubs with supporters that remember him as a solid player and a consummate professional that gave his all for whichever team he played for.

Stoke fans will certainly be no different, and in what was a tough time for the club on their return to the Championship, he was one of very few consistently good performers in his three years in ST4.