£3.5m Coventry City man surely set for exit - can Stoke City benefit? | OneFootball

Stoke City should look to sign Kaine Kesler-Hayden from Coventry City this summer

Stoke City are stuck in a miserable cycle, and Potters fans will be hoping that another summer rebuild can finally break a decade of frustration.

For the tenth year in a row, Stoke have finished in the bottom half of whatever league they have been in, as fewer clubs across the English football pyramid have had a less enjoyable decade.

Whilst the likes of Morecambe, Bury, and Macclesfield Town would swap places with the Potters in an instant, given their recent history and current predicament, there is no denying that it's been an exhausting time for Stoke fans, especially given the early promise this season.

Only Coventry City and Middlesbrough have spent more time in the top two than Mark Robins' side this campaign, yet whilst the Sky Blues celebrate promotion to the top flight after winning the title, and Boro have maintained their form, Stoke finish the year closer to the relegation zone than play-offs, with it not particularly being close.

Only Sheffield Wednesday have picked up fewer points across the last 30 games than them, with another summer rebuild on the horizon, as Robins should turn to his former club to cherry-pick one of their out-of-favour defenders, who could well be on the verge of an exit in the coming months.

Stoke City should look to sign out-of-favour Kaine Kesler-Hayden from Coventry this summer

It's set to be a busy summer at the bet365 Stadium, with an array of players set to come in and out of the doors in the Potteries.

Despite Robins awful run of form with the Potters, his job has never really come under much scrutiny, and the 56-year-old is set to lead the club into the summer and have a big say when it comes to recruitment.

It would be no surprise to see him return to his former side, Coventry, to poach any players unlikely to join the Sky Blues in the top-flight next year following their historic promotion.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden looks likely to be one of those set to play little, if any, role for Frank Lampard's side in the Premier League, with the former Aston Villa right-back having struggled to get his nose in front of Milan van Ewijk in the pecking order at the CBS Arena since joining from the Villains for £3.5 million last summer.

The 23-year-old enjoyed an excellent campaign last time around on loan at Preston North End, where he was named as the fans' Player of the Year, Player's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year for his performances down the right flank, earning him a permanent switch to Coventry.

Despite this, he has found game time difficult to come by under Lampard, with just four league starts all campaign, and given how he has struggled to make inroads in the second-tier, it's unlikely there will be any significant change to his minutes in the first.

Lampard has previously commented on Kesler-Hayden's lack of game time, saying: "t’s not been the easiest season for him not playing as regularly as he’s ever played. He’s been used to playing, wherever he’s been, even been on loan at different clubs.

"I’m sure he respects Milan. Milan’s consistent and plays a lot for us. He’s had a couple of little injuries as well. And I know him personally, as a human, as a lad, that’s not easy for him. And I think he’s found it a bit tough but I hope he knows he’s supported and I hope he knows that we trust him and like him.

With his contract not due to expire at Coventry until May 2029, Kesler-Hayden holds a lot of resale value, but given his lack of minutes, whether any side would be willing to cough up the money to Sky Blues will demand remains to be seen.

Lampard would be looking to make a profit on the player they bought just less than 12 months ago, and should that not be a possibility, a loan deal would be a more likely route to explore.

Why Mark Robins may want to sign Kaine Kesler-Hayden from Coventry this summer

A huge portion of the Coventry squad, which has earned promotion to the Premier League, was signed by Robins.

In fact, when the Sky Blues clinched promotion away to Blackburn Rovers in their 1-1 draw, eight of that starting 11 were signed by the current Stoke boss, with only Matt Grimes, Frank Onyeka, and Carl Rushworth signed under Lampard.

Kesler-Hayde, incidentally, wasn't signed by Robins, though that won't necessarily mean he wouldn't like to bring him to the Potteries.

Junior Tchamadeu is Stoke's only recognised senior right-back, and with the Cameroonian international having picked up an injury whilst away with his nation at AFCON in January, he has barely featured since.

His absence has meant that the likes of Bosun Lawal, Maksym Talovierov, and even Sorba Thomas have had to cover on the right side of defence, whilst academy product Syd Agina has been thrust into the side as of late.

Tchamadeu may attract interest of his own this summer, but regardless, Robins must target another right-back in this upcoming window to fix that issue, and Kesler-Hayden would not only provide excellent backup, but he could push Tchamadeu for his place in the side, and drastically improve the Potters squad.