Stoke City must offer escape route to Wrexham player to fix Mark Robins issue | OneFootball

Stoke City should offer Wrexham forward Ryan Hardie a route out of Wales this January

Stoke City are facing a major injury crisis in the striker position, and with options in the January market few and far between, they could do a lot worse than swoop for out-of-favour Wrexham forward Ryan Hardie this month.

It has, by most accounts, been a terrific season for Stoke City thus far, with the top six sitting well within their reach and a play-off spot a real possibility come the end of the campaign.

Though, despite their league position, frustration around the Potters camp will no doubt be rife due to the sheer amount of injuries that have ravaged the squad at the moment.

Stoke's injury list is currently in the double digits, leaving boss Mark Robins short on options across the pitch, and this is no more evident than in the striking department.

After Jimmy Dunne's strong challenge on Divin Mubama left the Manchester City forward requiring an oxygen mask after a broken leg in their goalless draw on Saturday, this has left the club with no fit available striker.

Robert Bozenik dislocated his shoulder in Stoke's 1-0 away win at Hull City on New Year's Day, whilst Sam Gallagher is also set to miss a prolonged period of time with an injury, in what has been an injury-laden 18 months for the former Southampton and Blackburn Rovers striker.

Robins doesn't even have the option to recall Nathan Lowe, like he did last season, nor Emre Tezgel, after the young pair both suffered injuries out on loan with Stockport County and Crewe Alexandra, respectively.

It therefore goes without saying that recruits in that area of the pitch are imperative, and Stoke should look to rescue Ryan Hardie from his disappointing stint with Wrexham.

Hardie joined Wrexham for a reported £700,000 from Plymouth Argyle in the summer after the Pilgrims were relegated to League One, signing a three-year deal at the STōK Cae Ras, but it hasn't gone to plan thus far for the Scotsman.

In a summer that saw Wrexham exceed £30 million worth of spending on the squad, bringing in the likes of Nathan Broadhead, Kieffer Moore, Callum Doyle, Lewis O'Brien, and Liberto Cacace for multi-million-pound fees, Hardie has been somewhat of a forgotten man.

The 28-year-old consistently scored goals during his time in Devon, netting 74 goals and grabbing 23 assists across 248 games for Plymouth, playing in League Two, League One, and the Championship for them.

However, since his move to North Wales, Hardie has played just 179 minutes of league football and has been out of action since picking up a knock in mid-December at home to Watford.

Indeed, another injured forward is exactly what Stoke doesn't need, but with the length of his injury not confirmed and unlikely to be too serious, he could prove to be a savvy pickup for the Potters if he can remain fit.

Ryan Hardie has the potential to be a game-changer for Stoke City

Hardie played two full seasons of Championship football for Plymouth between 2023 and 2025, making 77 second-tier appearances and scoring a respectable 22 goals and grabbing seven assists for a club which had lingered around the bottom of the table for much of their time there.

In both of his seasons in the Championship with Plymouth, Hardie ranked in the upper 90th percentile among players in the second tier for goals per 90 minutes, goals and assists per 90 minutes, and xG per 90 minutes, as per Footystats.

In a much poorer Plymouth side, Hardie was hitting 0.51 goals and assists per 90 minutes in both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, which surpasses Divin Mubama, who has been the Potters' main striker this campaign prior to his injury, with 0.34 goals and assists per 90 minutes.

Based off this, if Stoke can provide Hardie with a similar level of chances to that of Mubama, the stats suggest that Hardie would actually be an upgrade on the Manchester City loanee.

Robins prefers a physical presence up front in his one-striker system, with each of Mubama, Bozenik, and Gallagher all at least six-foot-two-inches, so stylistically, Hardie fits the bill.

The Scot hit double digits in both campaigns for the Pilgrims at Championship level, proving that he can make the step-up, and in a team which is competing at the other end of the league, like Stoke, he could flourish.

Only Gallagher has more Championship experience in the Potters' ranks, and with no Stoke player having hit double digits in the Championship since Jacob Brown in the 2021/22 season, he could be an excellent addition in the Potteries.

Robins must be scratching his head to wonder what he has done wrong to be put through such an injury crisis.

Along with the five aforementioned forwards, the likes of Viktor Johansson, Junior Tchamadeu, Aaron Cresswell, Eric Bocat, Lewis Baker, and Steven Nzonzi have all spent time in the treatment room this season, with Gavin Bazunu having to be brought in from Southampton on loan due to Johansson's injury.

The Potters sustain the best defensive record in the league, having kept three league clean sheets on the trot, though this has come at the expense of attacking prowess, and they may find goals even more difficult to come by now with no recognised striker available to them.

Winger Lamine Cisse deputised up top against QPR after Mubama's injury, and the Frenchman will likely do so again in their challenging midweek fixture at home to Middlesbrough.

Robins will no doubt be scouring the market for potential options to alleviate his striker woes this winter, with Hardie being a potential option.

Whether Wrexham will be willing to let him go, either permanently or on loan, remains to be seen, but with the likes of Moore, Sam Smith, and Jay Rodriguez ahead of him in the pecking order, it's likely that an agreement could be found between the two clubs,