Stoke City must send scouts to watch Ipswich Town star and Southampton man, here's why | OneFootball

The Potters need to track this Premier League pair ahead of January

Stoke City have found form in the Championship in recent weeks and head coach Narcis Pelach will be looking forward to being able to amend his squad in January as he approaches his first transfer window as Potters boss.

The Potters have lost just one of their last 10 league games and their squad looks to be gelling together well, but it is still very thin in certain positions as it stands and they will need to make additions in January if they wish to maintain their decent performances under the Spaniard's guidance.

Pelach has had to work with what he has been given so far, after only being hired as head coach in September, so a busy month of both incomings and outgoings is sure to commence at Clayton Wood as soon as the new year is upon us.

With that in mind, Football League World have identified two players that Stoke should send scouts to watch ahead of a potential move in the January window.

Ali Al-Hamadi

Striker Ali Al-Hamadi has enjoyed a stunning rise to the top in recent years and currently plies his trade with Ipswich Town in the Premier League after he joined from fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon in the January window and helped Kieran McKenna's side achieve a historic promotion from the second-tier in May.

The Iraqi international mostly featured off the bench in the second half of last season and while he did bag some important goals for the Tractor Boys in key games, it seemed likely that they were set to allow him to leave in the summer window.

They reportedly received loan enquiries from numerous Championship clubs for the 22-year-old but he surprisingly stayed at Portman Road and he has found opportunities at a premium in the top-flight, so is surely set to leave on loan when possible.

Stoke need to track him ahead of the new year, as the 22-year-old would be an ideal signing to add to their depth up front, and especially if the worst happens and Leicester City recall Tom Cannon after reports last month revealed that they hold the power to do so.

Sam Gallagher has impressed when he has played but has already picked up numerous injuries since his summer arrival, and neither Niall Ennis nor Emre Tezgel have proven goal records at second-tier level, and each may leave in the January window to make space for new forward arrivals in Pelach's squad.

Al-Hamadi has not spent long in the Championship as yet in his career, but he displayed some clear quality and clinical striking ability last season that could massively benefit the Potters' chances of pushing up the table in the second half of the campaign.

Ronnie Edwards

The Potters have flattered to deceive at the back so far this season, so a centre-back like Ronnie Edwards would be a perfect loan addition to bolster their defensive ranks for the second half of the campaign.

21-year-old Edwards started out at Barnet but has plenty of EFL experience for his age after he moved to Peterborough United in 2020 and soon became a regular at the heart of the Posh defence.

He established himself in the first-team at the Weston Homes Stadium in the 2021/22 season while the club were in the Championship, and won their Player of the Season award for his impressive second-tier performances after amassing 34 league appearances that term.

Edwards continued as a regular in League One as Peterborough made the play-offs in the last two seasons, and earned a £3m move to Premier League outfit Southampton in the summer, amid interest from the likes of West Ham and Crystal Palace.

His game-time has seen a significant decrease at St Mary's, as a result of the jump up in quality, with just one senior appearance so far this season, and it makes little sense for him to continue stunting his development in the under-21s for the rest of the campaign.

The Potters could do with a new centre-back to provide competition for their current ones in the new year, with captain Ben Gibson's form being very inconsistent since his summer move from Norwich City and the likes of Michael Rose and Ben Wilmot are both unreliable due to injuries while neither has been particularly impressive when they do play.

Stoke's 20 goals conceded in the league this season is not a massive problem and is a better record than the majority of clubs in the bottom half, but they have been heavily reliant on keeper Viktor Johansson's form, and have conceded the second-most xG of all teams so far, so need to improve at the back to see long-term results improve.

Edwards' calm, imposing nature, as well as his impressive passing range and aerial ability, would be a great fit for Pelach's style of play, and the Potters should look to scout him ahead of a potential loan move in the new year.