"Look at what we've done with Lewis Koumas" - Stoke City told to emulate Liverpool transfer | OneFootball

The Potters' depth on the flanks is fairly lacking, despite the quality in the starting XI in that position.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

The January transfer window will be an incredibly important month for Narcis Pelach and Stoke City as he looks to imprint his style on the team.

The 36-year-old was hired by the Potters in September following the shock sacking of Steven Schumacher, just five games into the Championship season.

It was a move that was being planned in the summer, and has brought a lot of pressure onto Stoke's new manager as they look to build from their 17th place finish in 2023/24.

The Staffordshire-based club had a relatively successful transfer window, bringing 10 new players to the bet365 Stadium, however, this has not equated to results on the pitch, with Pelach unable to take the club into the top half of the table since his arrival.

Nevertheless, the campaign is still in its very early days, and with the January window not too far away, preparations will be being made to get ready for an incredibly important month for the club.

Stoke must prioritise the wings

There is a lot of angst surrounding Stoke currently, particularly after the dismissal of the relatively popular Schumacher, but there is evidence of where the team does need strengthening.

The loan signing of Lewis Koumas from Liverpool in August was a very good one, and he is a player with a lot of promise, but there is a lack of quality cover in case either him or Bae Jun-ho get injured in the near future.

This is a problem, according to Football League World's Stoke Fan Pundit, Sam Harrison, and the Potters must bring in more competition for places on the flanks if Koumas and Jun-ho cannot bring goals and assists going forward.

"I think the only position that maybe needs a little bit more depth is the wingers," he started. "I'm not 100% sure what's happened with Andre Vidigal, whether he's back in the fold, but I hope he is because he had a decent pre-season and has shown last season that he is a good player, so hopefully he's backing it under Narcis Pelach.

"But I do think that, right now, in terms of the team that we've got, off the bench, we need a little bit more quality. Against Hull, we had Koumas, Jun-ho and Manhoef as the attackers and main threat, but off the bench we didn't have a huge amount of quality that could give us a bit of a different dynamic, a different threat and a bit more energy.

Sam continued: "I think maybe that there might be a couple of other positions that maybe need strengthening. But for me, I do think that the wing is the only position that we may just need one or two bits of quality.

"Look at what we've done with Lewis Koumas, looking at the loan market for players that are hungry and players that have a lot of potential if you give them the game time. I think a battle for places, especially on the wing, is really good and a real positive to have. So, that's the main position or the main thing that I think Stoke will look at in the January transfer window."

Stoke's current options must show Pelach why they should start

With three months until the window opens, there is plenty of time for Stoke's current wingers to prove to their new manager why they should be the ones to start on either flank, particularly as the team is not performing how they were expected to currently.

Koumas has the potential to be a Premier League star in the future, but at the moment he is still extremely raw and has to be managed well to avoid burnout. Jun-ho is still adapting to the division, and Million Manhoef has not been able to add the numbers to his game that he should be considering the attacking position he plays in.

On the fringes of the starting XI is Lynden Gooch, who has spent the majority of this season coming off the bench, without much luck. He is also struggling to get involved among the goals and assists, a pattern for Stoke's attacking stars.

Andre Vidigal finally looks to be back involved in the senior squad after an injury early in the campaign. But, starting late will have an impact, and it could take him longer to get up to speed, something that Pelach will have to work around in the coming weeks.

Therefore, it does seem likely that the new manager will take a look in the transfer market at another winger, especially if his current options continue to flatter to deceive. The season is still extremely young, but further misfires could see Stoke start to fall away from their competition before any changes can be made, however.