Stoke City submit transfer offer for exciting striker | OneFootball

The Potters have made a bid for Wellington Phoenix striker Luke Supyk

Stoke City have submitted a bid to sign young Wellington Phoenix forward Luke Supyk, according to new reports, as Mark Robins aims to bolster his attacking depth ahead of a potential relegation battle in the second-half of the season.

Stoke have had a quiet month on the transfer front, with just two loanees signed so far in Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Ali Al-Hamadi from Manchester City and Ipswich Town respectively, but boss Robins needs to add more players to his squad as the deadline edges ever closer.

The Potters are in clear need of attacking reinforcements over the coming days, despite Al-Hamadi's arrival, given that they are the lowest scorers in the Championship right now, and are currently in the midst of a relegation battle in 20th place.

After links to numerous strikers over recent weeks, New Zealand youth international Supyk is the latest to be of reported interest to the North Staffordshire club, and they look to have taken their interest a step further with a concrete approach to seal his services before next Monday's deadline.

Stoke City have approached Wellington Phoenix over a move for Luke Supyk

According to a new report from Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, the Potters have submitted a bid for 18-year-old Phoenix striker Supyk, who is considered to be one of the next rising stars of the A-League.

Football Insider's update also states that he is under contract with Wellington until June 2026, but the fee put forward by Stoke is not yet clear.

Wellington-born Supyk is still in the very early stages of his professional career, but has already made an impact in men's football after breaking through the Nix' academy to become a first-team player in 2023, aged just 17.

He was in 14 matchday squads in his first season as a professional, and made his debut for Phoenix off the bench against Western Sydney Wanderers in December 2023, while being a consistent scorer for their reserve team.

This season has seen him progress even further to become a regular in the senior squad, particularly over the last few months and weeks, with four substitute appearances in the last five A-League games.

Supyk may not be what Stoke need right now

The Potters are in real trouble of being embroiled in a relegation battle until the end of the season in May, and while Robins has somewhat steadied the ship in terms of defensive frailties since his arrival, there is still clearly a lot of work to be done to get his side scoring more goals.

As a team so far this term, Stoke have netted just 26 goals in 29 Championship games, which is the lowest of any side in the second-tier, and nine of those strikes came from Leicester City loanee Cannon, who is now plying his trade at Sheffield United.

The recent arrival of Iraqi international Al-Hamadi is bound to relieve some pressure on the Potters to bolster their frontline further, but while he boasts a solid record in the Championship, Stoke are struggling for fit back-ups that are guaranteed to be able to hold their own at the level.

Nathan Lowe has been recalled from his own loan spell at Walsall, and he did bag in his first appearance back at Stoke against West Brom, but is still only 19-years-old, while Sam Gallagher is constantly picking up injuries, and Emre Tezgel is likely seeking a late route out of the club in this window.

With that said, adding another young, even more inexperienced striker to Stoke's current pool of striker options does not seem like the wisest move at this late stage.

Supyk may well be a shrewd addition for the years to come, but it does seem more likely that he would join up with the Potters' under-21 squad rather than the first-team if he does join in the coming days, leaving Robins and co. still on the hunt for a new senior signing.