O'Brien signs: The dream Stoke City XI once the transfer window closes | OneFootball

We have picked out a starting eleven that the Potters would love to field once the January window is over

Stoke City will be aiming to bolster their squad in the January window under recently-appointed boss Mark Robins, as the former Coventry manager looks to take his side away from the relegation zone in the second-half of the season.

The Potters have been quiet on the transfer front so far this month, with the close of the window now creeping ever nearer and Robins surely wanting to add some more of his own signings to a squad that lacks depth in most areas.

Stoke have moved to recall both Lewis Baker and Nathan Lowe from their respective loan spells at Blackburn Rovers and Walsall, but the bulk of their January business is believed to be likely to take place closer to the early February deadline, due to their struggles regarding profit and sustainability (PSR) and financial fair play (FFP) rules.

They are currently still very much in the midst of a relegation battle, but a few shrewd additions may well be enough to take them away from the bottom three as the 2024/25 campaign wears on, and with that said, Football League World have picked out Stoke's dream starting XI once the window closes and all their injured players are back fit.

GK: Viktor Johansson

Swedish international goalkeeper Viktor Johansson has been far-and-away Stoke's best performer this term, which is a positive in that he has exceeded the high expectations set after his impressive time at Rotherham United, but a startling negative for the Potters as they would definitely be in the relegation zone if not for him.

No claims have emerged about possible interest in Johansson's signature in the January window as yet, but his impressive performances will certainly not be going unnoticed, and Stoke must do all in their power to make sure he is still at the club next month.

RB: Junior Tchamadeu

Junior Tchamadeu is well into his second season as a Stoke player now, and is just starting to really nail down his place at right-back after spending the last 18 months in and out of the team under three different permanent managers before Robins.

The 21-year-old has been a regular on the right side of defence over the last month, and Potters supporters will hope that he can continue his decent form across the rest of the campaign, with a lack of suitable back-ups in that position if he does become absent.

CB: Ashley Phillips

Tottenham Hotspur loanee centre-back Ashley Phillips has proven himself as one of Stoke's best and most consistent in his position this season, and looks to have pushed club-captain Ben Gibson down the pecking order for good after some impressive recent outings.

Stoke know all about the dangers of loaning in players with a recall clause, because of what happened with Tom Cannon, but it does look as if Spurs are going to allow Phillips to play a full season of Championship football in the Potteries, as they are yet to summon him back to North London despite their currently lengthy defensive injury list.

CB: Ben Wilmot

Ben Wilmot is one of Stoke's longest-serving players, and has returned to form this season to stake his own claim for a starting spot, and it looks like boss Robins is set to trust him as a first-choice centre-back in the months to come.

Wilmot has suffered from a host of different injury issues over the last few years, but has previously been named as the Potters' Player of the Season for the 2022/23 campaign, and has plenty of time to improve even further at just 25-years-old.

LB: Jeffrey Schlupp

A move for any player that has been in the top-flight for the last ten years certainly seems like an ambitious one for Stoke to pull off this month, but if they are able to convince Crystal Palace man Jeffrey Schlupp to make the move to ST4, it would be a real coup.

The Potters have recently been credited with interest in the one-time Premier League winner by Football Insider, and with his game-time at premium for the Eagles, he may want to test himself in the Championship before his Palace contract runs out in May.

If he was to join Stoke, he would likely be first-choice in numerous positions, but with Eric Bocat sidelined and Enda Stevens unreliable due to his own recurring injury issues, left-back would surely be the role that Schlupp would take in Robins' starting 11.

CM: Lewis O'Brien

Another potential new addition to the Potters' ranks this month is Lewis O'Brien, and again, he would almost definitely be an instant starter if he was to make the move across the Midlands from Nottingham Forest to North Staffordshire.

O'Brien has been linked with a move to Burnley, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers in days gone by, as well as Preston North End joining the mix, but Stoke could certainly look to join that chase for his services given their injury issues in midfield, with Sol Sidibe and Jordan Thompson both sidelined for the long-term, and Bosun Lawal and Ben Pearson both struggling for fitness as it stands.

The 26-year-old has previously impressed in the Championship with Huddersfield Town, and is now looking for his next move after recent loan spells with DC United, Middlesbrough and Los Angeles FC.

CM: Wouter Burger

Wouter Burger enjoyed a stellar debut season at the bet365 Stadium after joining Stoke from Basel for a reported fee of £4.3m in August 2023, but while his form has taken somewhat of a dip this term, he is still deserving of his place in the starting eleven and could well be revitalised under Robins' guidance.

Burger's mature, imposing and standout performances saw him just pipped to the Player of the Season award last May by Bae Junho, and he is again likely a victim of the managerial shake up at Stoke since his arrival, with Robins already his fourth permanent manager in his relatively short time at the club so far.

The 23-year-old Dutchman can make a huge difference when he is on his game, and will hope that another addition in the middle of the park sees him allowed to play slightly deeper, rather than as the Potters' most advanced midfielder.

AM: Bae Jun-ho

Bae Jun-ho is another, similar to Burger, that shone last season and was able to pick up Stoke's Player of the Season award, but has not quite been able to replicate those performances in his second campaign at the club.

The South Korean international has found himself in and out of the team this season under Steven Schumacher and Narcis Pelach, but there is absolutely no doubt that he makes it into the Potters' starting eleven when he is in form, and hopefully Robins will be the man to unlock his potential this term, with attacking midfield the most likely position for him to play in going forward.

RW: Million Manhoef

Stoke's struggles this season have been compounded by numerous injuries to key men, and no outfielders in the current squad are arguably as important to their good fortunes than Netherlands under-21 winger Million Manhoef.

Manhoef joined the Potters in the last January window, and after he hit the ground running in English football with some star turns to help the club avoid relegation, he was able to transfer his form into this season and looked set to play a huge part once again.

Unfortunately for him, and all connected with the club, he was ruled out with a knee injury in December, and now looks set to return to action sometime in March, when he will undoubtedly return to the starting eleven sooner rather than later.

ST: Ali Al-Hamadi

The Potters have moved to fill the 11-goal void left by the departing Tom Cannon, following his recall by Leicester City, with the loan signing of Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi this week.

He scored four times in 14 Championship games last season, while he has netted just once in 13 games in all competitions this term, with no starts as yet in the Premier League and a lack of game-time behind the likes of Liam Delap, Conor Chaplin and George Hirst.

The Iraqi international looked set to seal a switch to fellow Championship side West Brom for the second-half of the campaign earlier this week, as a result of his lack of minutes, before the deal was then called off due to disagreements over the structure of the deal.

Stoke have now moved to bring him in on loan until the end of the season after the East Anglian Daily Times reported days after his failed Baggies move that they were interested in bringing him in to bolster their attacking options, and he will now inevitably be Robins' first-choice striker for the majority of the campaign, with a hope that he can follow in Cannon's footsteps to fire the club to safety.

LW: Lewis Koumas

Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas has split opinion within the Potters' fanbase at times this season, with some supporters believing that he is definitely good enough to be starting each week, while some are unsure if he is having the desired impact in attack.

The reality of his spell so far is that he has been called upon to start games a lot more than a 19-year-old out on his first loan away from his boyhood club would have expected, but he has still played well more often than not, and clearly has the tools to feature consistently at the top level at some point in his career.

Much like his teammate Phillips, there seems little chance of him being recalled by his parent club this month, and so he will hope to return to his favoured left side once Manhoef is back fit, then grab more goals and assists to help Stoke move up the table.