Stoke City must seal £0 Sunderland deal after Aaron Cresswell delay | OneFootball

Stoke City should prepare a move for Sunderland's Denis Cirkin this summer as Aaron Cresswell extension talks go cold

Stoke City prepare for another huge summer window, and Mark Robins once again has his work cut out for him to ensure the Potters are in the best place possible to go and attack the Championship top half next season.

Stoke began the 2025/26 campaign on fire, winning four of their opening five, and by the time their home clash with Coventry City rolled around at the beginning of November, it was 2nd versus 1st.

The Sky Blues came away with all three points that day courtesy of Ephron Mason-Clark's acrobatic effort, and since then, the Potters never truly recovered, slipping all the way down from the automatic places to finish 17th, confirming their tenth consecutive year of bottom-half finishes in a row.

The Potters have since sounded out alternatives in case the under-pressure Mark Robins departs the club, as exclusively revealed by Football League World, but it looks as though the 56-year-old will get another crack at the whip this summer to lead Stoke into the next campaign.

The full-back position, particularly left-back, has been a continuously problematic position for the Potters for years, ever since the departure of Erik Pieters, truthfully, and Robins should be looking to remedy that by making a move for an out-of-contract Premier League player this summer, as contract renewal talks for one of their own stars have gone cold.

Stoke City should plot a move for Sunderland's Denis Cirkin this summer as Aaron Cresswell renewal talks go quiet

Indeed, the left-back spot at the bet365 Stadium has been a contentious area of the pitch for Stoke for a while now.

Each of Stephen Ward, Morgan Fox, Alfie Doughty, Josh Tymon, Lynden Gooch, Enda Stevens, and, more recently, Eric Bocat and Aaron Cresswell have played in that position for the Potters over the last six years, all to varying degrees of success.

Bocat and Cresswell both spent time out injured during the most recent campaign, forcing both Bosun Lawal, Ben Gibson, and even Jesurun Rak-Sakyi to cover in that spot - a far from ideal scenario for Robins to contend with.

Bocat, 26, has persistently been linked with a move to Belgian side Standard Liege over the past couple of seasons since his arrival, and could move on this summer if interest resurfaces, whilst Cresswell, 36, endured an injury-stricken campaign in the Potteries following his move from West Ham United last summer.

Cresswell made 25 league appearances across the season and has since been offered a fresh deal to remain with the club, but has yet to sign on the dotted line, and at the moment, will leave upon the expiry of his deal at the end of the month.

Robins must recognise the problem Stoke have in this position, and formally address it by making a move for Sunderland's Irish left-back Dennis Cirkin this summer.

Cirkin, 24, came through the ranks at Tottenham Hotspur and made the move to Sunderland in 2021, playing pivotal roles in the Black Cats' promotion from League One and then the Championship, and has made a total of 126 appearances for the club in total.

However, following Sunderland's promotion, Cirkin was demoted from his role in the first team upon the arrival of Reinildo, whilst Trai Hume was often preferred in that position over the Latvian, limiting him to just six top-flight appearances all season under Regis Le Bris.

Now, Cirkin is due to become a free agent this summer after announcing his departure on Instagram at the end of his current terms, and is set to attract interest from a host of Championship clubs, as Stoke should certainly be one of them.

Despite his lack of minutes over the past year, Cirkin remains an excellent left-back at Championship level, and it would not at all be surprising to see a host of clubs in the second tier and abroad offer him deals.

At 24, Cirkin is at an excellent age and could very easily become Stoke's long-term left-back option if he were to sign on the dotted line, locking down that position for years to come.

On a free transfer too, there will be few better options on the market in terms of experience, ability, and fee this summer, and Stoke should be looking to get this deal over the line as soon as possible.

Mark Robins must find a long-term solution to the left-back position at Stoke City and must consider a swoop for Dennis Cirkin

With Robins' job security at Stoke on the ropes, he has been given a lifeline to prove he is the correct person for the job.

With only Sheffield Wednesday picking up fewer points than the Potters across the final 30 games of the season, Robins has been afforded some incredible leeway that few other managers would receive, with his work at Coventry still firmly taken into account.

The former Coventry boss must repay the faith shown in him by the club by engineering a strong transfer window, and the addition of Cirkin would go some way to ensuring that.

The Potters cannot afford to stagnate and dwindle in the bottom half of the Championship for much longer, and Robins simply must find a way to ensure that that isn't the case again next time around.