QPR concern not over despite £1m-a-year Stoke City deal: View | OneFootball

One Championship side who have made a busy start to this summer's transfer window, are Stoke City.

Next season, the Potters will be looking to improve on an underwhelming 17th place finish in the second-tier from the 2023/24 campaign.

They have wasted little time in starting to put together a squad that they hope will be able to do that.

Already, Stoke have made two signings this summer, the first of which was goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, who joined from Rotherham United.

That was followed up with the addition of Ben Gibson, the centre back joining following his release from another Championship side Norwich City, on a deal reported to be worth £1million-a-year.

Interestingly though, Gibson is not the only centre back currently based in the Championship, who has been linked with a move to Stoke City in recent times.

Jake Clarke-Salter a Stoke City target

Last month, The Daily Telegraph journalist John Percy reported that QPR centre back Jake Clarke-Salter is also set to be a top target for the Potters this summer.

Clarke-Salter joined QPR back in the summer of 2022, signing from Chelsea after numerous spells out on loan elsewhere.

Since then, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 49 appearances in all competitions for the Rs, becoming an important figure at Loftus Road this season in particular.

With two years left on his contract, securing his future with the club until the end of the 2025/26 season, it is suggested that QPR would demand a fee of £5-7million for his services this summer.

But despite the fact that Stoke have now signed an alternative centre back in the form of Gibson, it could be argued that QPR still ought to be concerned about the Potters' interest in Clarke-Salter.

Potters may need more centre back signings

Even with the signing of Gibson, there is a case to be made that Steven Schumacher's side are not at full strength when it comes to their options in the centre of defence.

This summer has already seen Ciaran Clark leave the club following the expiration of his contract, while Luke McNally spell on loan in the Potteries has also come to an end.

As a result, while Stoke have signed one centre back this summer in the form of Gibson, they have also lost two in the same period.

Consequently, they have three senior natural centre backs contracted to the club as things stand, with Gibson joining Ben Wilmot and Michael Rose in that role.

Given the demands of a whole season, it would be a big ask for any club to go through a campaign with just three centre backs.

With Stoke often operating with two centre backs, that would leave the Potters with just one player to cover those two positions, which given the inevitability of injury and suspension that will set in with the demands of such a campaign, would leave them walking a tightrope in terms of selection.

It would therefore, surely make sense for the club to bring in another option who can operate in the centre of defence, to ease some of the pressure on their other options in that position, and providing more scope to rotate that will ease that risk of more unwanted absences.

Because of that, a move to sign Clarke-Salter would surely still make sense for the Staffordshire club, to ensure they do have the sort of depth at centre back they need.

Indeed, given he is proven as a reliable option at this level, he would be a solid option to do that job for Schumacher's side.

So with all that in mind, it seems that even with Gibson's move to Stoke, it may be the case that QPR cannot rest easy when it comes to the future of Clarke-Salter, just yet.