Southampton forward & out of favour Leeds United man can give Stoke City the dream start to January | OneFootball

With the January transfer window right around the corner, Mark Robins may be looking to improve his Stoke City attack

Mark Robins will have one eye on the January transfer window to improve his Stoke City squad, with one area of the pitch requiring more focus than others.

Having narrowly survived relegation last season, Stoke City are much improved this campaign in almost all areas.

Mark Robins took the helm at the bet365 Stadium on January 1st 2025, with the Potters in real danger of falling into League One, with both Steven Schumacher and Narcis Pelach struggling to keep the club afloat.

According to FotMob, Stoke had the second-worst xG (expected goals) conceded record in the EFL Championship last season, behind only Plymouth Argyle, who themselves were relegated.

This campaign, with only one real change in the backline, that being the free signing of veteran full-back Aaron Cresswell from West Ham United, Stoke have maintained the best defensive record in the league, nearly halfway through the season.

Their solid defensive record has played a huge factor in the club occupying a spot in the play-offs for much of the season, despite having recently dropped out after some patchy form, though their efforts in the final third could still be improved.

Divin Mubama's form has dropped off as the season has progressed, with the goals largely drying up for the England youth international, whilst Robert Bozenik, who signed on a free transfer this summer from Portuguese club Boavista, has yet to score for the Potters, and Sam Gallagher's recent return to fitness has also yielded no goals.

Sorba Thomas' form from the left flank has largely kept the Potters in play-off contention, yet he cannot be solely relied upon throughout the entire campaign, and more contributions will have to be made from elsewhere as the season continues.

With the winter window on the horizon, Robins may well have eyes on recruitment in the final third and should be eyeing moves for these two players.

Cameron Archer was once one of the hottest prospects in the Championship, being courted by almost every club in the division looking to obtain his signature.

His first spell came with Preston North End in January 2022, where he scored seven goals in 20 appearances and was made a part of parent club Aston Villa's plans for the following campaign.

However, he barely featured in the first half of the 2022/23 season, and subsequently joined Middlesbrough on loan for the second half of the campaign, where he scored 11 and grabbed 6 assists in 20 appearances once more, leading to an £18 million switch to then-Premier League side Sheffield United.

Archer scored just four times as the Blades were relegated from the top flight, which led Villa to act upon their buyback clause included in the deal to sell him, bringing him back to the Midlands before once again selling to his current club, Southampton, for £15 million.

The Englishman struggled to cement a place in the Saints' side last season as the club was relegated from the Premier League, and this season he has made 14 appearances but started just five, scoring once.

With Armstrong the preferred choice up top, this has left Archer with limited minutes off the bench, especially since Tonda Eckert took permanent charge on the South Coast, and a move for the former England Under-21 international could be on the cards this January.

Under contract until the summer of 2028, it's unlikely that Southampton would let him leave permanently, with a loan move being a more likely option, which would suit Stoke, who have room for another loan signing.

Southampton have already loaned out Ben Brereton Diaz to Derby County this season, showing their willingness to strike a deal with other teams in the second tier, something Stoke should keep in mind if they choose to move for Archer.

With rumours of a departure for Damion Downs and injury woes for Ross Stewart, whether Southampton would be willing to allow Archer leave - even on loan - is one thing, and to a direct Championship is another, but Stoke should try their luck nonetheless.

Joel Piroe was the top goalscorer in the Championship last season, hitting 19 goals as Leeds United snatched the title on the final day with a 100-point haul.

The Dutchman has a proven track record of hitting the back of the net in the second tier, with 73 goals and 18 assists in 179 second-tier appearances for both Leeds and Swansea City.

Piroe has found his game-time to be seriously limited following Leeds' promotion to the top flight, despite him ending the season as their top scorer, starting the opening two games and none thereafter, accumulating just 200 minutes of league football this season.

With the form of Dominic Calvert-Lewin proving to be too good to drop, with Lukas Nmecha acting largely as the backup option, this has left Piroe struggling for minutes this campaign.

Whether the Whites would be willing to loan out Piroe for the remainder of the campaign is yet to be seen, but given his goalscoring record and his lack of game time, the 26-year-old will not be short of interest this January.

Leeds have already shown willingness to loan attacking talent out to the Championship this campaign, with Joe Gelhardt currently thriving for Hull City.

Indeed, Piroe has scored more goals against Stoke than any other Championship club, having netted eight against the Potters in his career, so he certainly knows where the net is against the Staffordshire-based outfit.