Stoke City to seal 24-goal Grimsby Town transfer raid? Mark Robins warned of 'huge step' | OneFootball

FLW's Stoke City fan pundit has shared their thoughts on the Potters' links with Grimsby Town striker Jaze Kabia

Stoke City maintained one of the best defensive records in the Championship this season despite a big dip in form, and Mark Robins' side is seemingly keen to address the obvious weakness in the final third.

For a good portion of the campaign, Stoke had the best defensive record in the Championship, ahead of the likes of Coventry City and Ipswich.

However, as the season progressed, and injuries to the likes of Viktor Johansson, Gavin Bazunu, Ben Wilmot, Ben Gibson, Maksym Talovierov, Junior Tchamadeu, and Aaron Cresswell caught up to them, their solid foundations became shaky, and as a result, they began shipping in more goals.

Their attack was unable to make up for this at any point during the season, despite the best efforts of Welsh international winger Sorba Thomas, who managed double digits for both goals and assists from out wide for the Potters.

Neither Robert Bozenik, Sam Gallagher, Milan Smit, nor Divin Mubama, each of whom also struggled with injuries, were able to consistently hit the back of the net.

Smit's loan move from Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles will be made a permanent one for around £4.8 million, but reinforcements up top may not end there, as despite both Nathan Lowe and Emre Tezgel due to return from their loans, Mark Robins' side are looking to pluck one of the best strikers in League Two to the Potteries this summer.

Stoke City are interested in signing Grimsby Town striker Jaze Kabia this summer

According to Alan Nixon via Patreon, Stoke are one of several EFL sides interested in signing Grimsby Town striker Jaze Kabia this summer.

Kabia, 25, has spent the bulk of his career playing in his native Ireland and Scotland, and made the move to Grimsby last summer from sixth-tier side Truro City.

This season, the Irishman has scored 24 times in all competitions at Blundell Park, with Football Insider reporting that both Oxford United and Leyton Orient have registered interest in Kabia.

Football League World's Stoke fan pundit, Ryan, has shared his thoughts on the Potters' links to Kabia and whether the Irish forward could be a diamond in the rough worth pursuing.

Ryan said: "I'm unsure on Jaze Kabia, in all honesty.

"I think it's a bit of a huge step coming into the Championship. And I mean, I think he needs a loan in League One. So if we did get him, put him out in a League One side, see how he does, and maybe take that risk.

"I mean, you know, 24 goals across all competitions for Grimsby is promising, but can he do it two steps higher? We've seen strikers coming in for Stoke, and they haven't done a lot.

Indeed, when it comes to strikers, Stoke haven't had the best luck, to put it mildly.

Not since the 1999/2000 season have the Potters had a player hit over 20 goals in a season, with the last being Peter Thorne in the old third tier just after the turn of the millennium, hitting 30 goals in one campaign - a true anomaly in Stoke terms.

In the 26 years since, Thorne came closest to that tally in the following campaign with 16, whilst Ricardo Fuller and Liam Lawrence hit 15 each during their promotion year in 2007/08.

The likes of Saido Berahino, Sam Vokes, Dwight Gayle, Liam Delap, Benik Afobe, Scott Hogan, Steven Fletcher, Lee Gregory, Jacob Brown, Sam Surridge, Josh Maja, Wesley, Ryan Mmaee, Tom Cannon, and, more recently, Divin Mubama, Robert Bozenik, and Sam Gallagher have passed through the Potteries since being in the Championship, all to varying degrees of success, but more often than not disappointing.

Whether Kabia is capable of making the mighty jump from the fourth tier to the second tier and bucking that trend remains to be seen, but Stoke fans will be helping him every step along the way if he does indeed make the move.

Mark Robins must be cautious if Stoke City decide to sign Jaze Kabia from Grimsby Town this summer

With each of Bozenik, Gallagher, Smit, Lowe, and Tezgel all contracted to Stoke for next season, something must give, even in the event that Kabia doesn't sign.

The most obvious candidates to stay are Bozenik and Smit, with the latter’s £4.8 million move having recently been made a permanent one, whilst Bozenik had begun to find his feet just before his injury away to Hull City, where he netted the only goal of the game, and indeed his only goal for the club thus far.

Gallagher's injury problems have ravaged his game time in the Potteries, with his lack of availability frustrating Stoke supporters, whilst there are no certainties whether Lowe or Tezgel have futures at the club.

Adding Kabia to the mix at this stage would only create more headaches, as Robins must be cautious in pursuing the 25-year-old and must remain wary of his ability to make the jump to the second tier.