Stoke City must try sign Bristol City target to fix glaring issue for Mark Robins | OneFootball

Stoke City should turn their attentions to Bristol City target Jayden Wareham this summer

Stoke City’s summer preparations are well underway, and with five new faces through the doors at the bet365 Stadium already, more are expected between now and the end of the window.

Indeed, after slumping down the table in the second half of last campaign, Stoke and their head coach Mark Robins are determined to ensure a similar outcome is not met next year.

Whilst Lewis Baker and Steven Nzonzi remain the only notable outgoings thus far, Bar Jun-Ho looks increasingly likely to leave the club this summer with one year remaining on his current deal, with Lyon circling.

The likes of Luke Graham, Svante Ingelsson, Ethan Galbraith, Joshua Griffiths, and Djibril Soumare have all signed on the dotted line this summer to reinforce the goalkeeping, defensive, and midfield departments.

However, no attacking additions have been made as yet, as this is something Robins ought to fix sooner rather than later, and could do so by rivalling Bristol City for the services of a player who lit up League One last season.

Stoke City should rival Bristol City for Exeter City striker Jayden Wareham this summer

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Having strengthened every other department this summer, Robins must now focus his attentions on forward options in the Potteries.

Stoke were among the lowest goalscorers in the Championship last year, and with each of Divin Mubama, Robert Bozenik, Milan Smit, and Sam Gallagher scoring just ten goals between them from a combined 80 league games, the problem becomes evident.

Smit’s loan move from Go Ahead Eagles has become permanent this summer, and he will be hoping to have a much brighter campaign, as will Bozenik and Gallagher.

However, they have proven between them that they simply cannot be relied upon, so Robins should be looking at Exeter City forward Jayden Wareham to come in and fix their problems.

Wareham, 23, scored 19 and assisted two in 46 League One games for Exeter last season despite their relegation, and has drawn interest from second-tier rivals Bristol City as a result.

The forward came through the ranks at Chelsea and has spent time with Woking, Leyton Orient, and Reading before Exeter, and has now made a name for himself in the EFL at St James’ Park.

Bristol City were looking at Wareham as a potential alternative for Leyton Orient’s Dom Ballard, according to Alan Nixon's Patreon, but the Robins’ attentions seem fixated on last year’s top scorer in the third tier, as Stoke should swoop in instead.

Now technically a League Two player, Wareham likely won’t break the bank for Stoke, and as another younger option up top for the Potters, the Englishman presents few downsides to his capture.

Despite standing at 177cm (five feet nine inches), Wareham won 175 aerial duels in League One last year, as per FotMob, emphasising his physical presence, and with 44 tackles and 97 defensive contributions, he is more than just a goalscorer.

Though with 19 goals from an expected goal return of 16.3 from 102 shots, the Exeter forward has proven to be a more than capable player in the final third, and could be ready to make the jump to the next level this summer.

Whether he can maintain similar performance levels in the second tier remains to be seen, though he is a gamble worth taking, as Stoke should look to beat Bristol City to this potential bargain.

Mark Robins must reinforce Stoke City’s attack and should consider Jayden Wareham

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With Stoke’s summer business having gone a bit quiet following the arrivals of Galbraith and Graham, Robins likely has no intentions to take his foot off the accelerator just yet.

The 56-year-old will have been just as frustrated as anyone with Stoke’s dip in form last year, and having been given another crack of the whip when others may not have, he cannot afford to take this opportunity for granted.

Improving Stoke’s attack is a necessity if they are to finally break into the top half for the first time in a decade, and Wareham could well help them to do just that, and simply must be considered over the coming weeks.