Birmingham City and Stoke plot move to sign forward previously eyed by Arsenal | OneFootball

Birmingham City and Stoke City are eyeing moves for Bristol Rovers youngster Ollie Dewsbury amid previous links with Arsenal, Everton, and Fulham

Birmingham City and Stoke City are battling it out for the signature of Wales youth international and Bristol City forward Ollie Dewsbury, amid previous interest from Premier League outfits.

According to BristolLive, Championship duo Birmingham and Stoke are interested in the permanent addition of 18-year-old Dewsbury this summer, with the Welsh youngster having been on numerous top clubs' radar for months.

BristolLive previously reported back in July that Dewsbury was training with Premier League outfit Everton ahead of a potential switch to the Toffees, with both Arsenal and Fulham also monitoring his situation.

Birmingham City and Stoke City are set to battle it out for the signature of Bristol Rovers' Ollie Dewsbury this summer

Dewsbury, 18, joined Bristol Rovers' academy at the age of seven, and around eight years later, in November 2023, he would make his senior debut for the club aged just 15 years and 255 days, becoming the second-youngest player in the club's history.

Since then, the forward has made 22 first-team appearances for the Gasheads, but has yet to register a direct goal contribution, and spent the second half of the 2025/26 season on loan in the sixth tier with Weston-super-Mare, scoring three in 18 appearances.

Dewsbury's performances for his age have attracted interest from each of Arsenal, Fulham, and Everton, with the latter offering him a trial previously, but no permanent deal was struck.

Now, Birmingham and Stoke are battling out over his permanent addition, although BristolLive report that there is the possibility that he heads out to the National League on loan this summer instead.

Why do Birmingham City and Stoke City want Ollie Dewsbury?

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Although Dewsbury lacks experience of regular professional football, at just 18, he has already amassed just shy of 50 first-team appearances combined in spells with Bristol Rovers and Weston-super-Mare.

A regular in the Wales youth setup, Dewsbury has caught the eye of scouts for his performances at youth level, capable of playing anywhere across the final third.

Birmingham and Stoke will almost certainly be viewing Dewsbury as one they can develop over the years, rather than necessarily an immediate first-team player, and will likely either link up with their youth sides or head out on loan if he were to make the move to the Championship.

Unlikely to cost a hefty fee by any stretch of the imagination, Dewsbury presents high upside and little risk, and if he can develop into a regular in the EFL, Birmingham and Stoke will have already made their money back and then some.

No fee or asking price has yet been reported, but as Birmingham and Stoke monitor his situation, there is every chance he could be on the move to the second tier in the next week or so, with this saga one to keep an eye on.

Birmingham and Stoke City eye more attacking recruits before the summer deadline amid Ollie Dewsbury link

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Birmingham and Stoke, amid their links to Dewsbury, are clearly looking to make additions in their attacking ranks for the first-team before the end of the window.

Blues showed an interest in Joe Gelhardt before his permanent switch to Hull City, whilst Sporting Gijon's Cesar Gelabert is also a player that has been touted with a move to St Andrews before the window slams shut.

Stoke have completed the addition of Ipswich Towremainn's George Hirst for an initial £6 million, whilst there remains gaps in their final third that Mark Robins will surely look to address before the September deadline.

The Potters' Football League World fan pundit, Ryan Beresford, has previously backed their club to sign Sheffield United's Tom Cannon, though a move for the Irish striker at this stage would appear doubtful.