Stoke City will face a real issue in January - Mark Robins must resolve the problem | OneFootball

Junior Tchamadeu is in line for a call-up to the Cameroon national side for AFCON in a few months time.

The African Cup of Nations is right around the corner, and Stoke City may have to find a solution to deal with Junior Tchamadeu's potential absence.

Stoke have undergone their best start to a season in 27 years, winning four of their opening five Championship fixtures, with the only defeat being a 1-0 home loss to West Brom just before the international break.

Wins against the likes of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton and most recently Birmingham City sees the Potters sit in second place in the Championship table, just one point off of league leaders Middlesbrough.

Under Mark Robins, Stoke have seemingly found a settled and consistent starting lineup under the Englishman, having only made minor tweaks in every other game.

The defence and goalkeeper in particular have remained the same, with Viktor Johansson in net being shielded by the back four of Aaron Cresswell, Bosun Lawal, Ben Wilmot and Junior Tchamadeu.

Each has impressed in their own right in the early stages of this season, though it is Tchamadeu in the right-back role that is a slight cause for concern within the next few months.

Having been capped five times by Cameroon, the 21-year-old is in line for a call-up to his nation's squad for the African Cup of Nations this winter, and with Stoke having no other natural senior right-back in the squad, concerns have been raised.

Junior Tchamadeu's absence would present real problems for Mark Robins

It is likely that the English-born Cameroon international will receive another call-up to the national side, such as his impressive displays in the Championship last season and the beginning of this one.

Right back was one area which the Potters seemingly targeted in the summer market, but could not find an option to bring in to give Tchamadeu sufficient competition in that right-back role.

The Potters squad is in as strong of a place it has been ever since relegation to the second division over seven years ago, with right-back being the only area of the squad where there is few options.

19-year-old Jaden Mears started in that role for the Potters 3-0 home defeat to Bradford City in the League Cup, though reservations over his readiness have come into question, with Mears yet to have made his senior league appearance.

Vice-captain Wilmot is capable of playing that position. However, he is much stronger in his natural centre-back role, and does not offer the attacking threat that Tchamadeu does.

Manager Robins must find a solution to this issue to prepare for the inevitability of Tchamadeu's call-up, otherwise a clear weakness in the Stoke squad will be highlighted by other sides.

Junior Tchamadeu has established himself as an ever-present figure in the Stoke City starting lineup

Tchamadeu spent seven years in the academy of Charlton Athletic before joining Colchester United in 2020, where he would become the club's youngest-ever starter at 16 years and 349 days old.

The right-back would establish himself as a mainstay in the League Two club's ranks, and would win numerous accolades for his performances, including EFL League Two Young Player of the season 2022/23 and Colchester United Player of the Year 2022/23.

This garnered interest from clubs in divisions above, including Stoke, who signed Tchamadeu in 2023 as competition for Ki-Jana Hoever in the right-back position.

Last season, Tchamadeu played 45 times across all competitions, scoring his first Potters goal and grabbing two assists as Stoke narrowly avoided relegation on the final day; he had nailed down the right-back position as his own.

Now just five games into the season, the Cameroonian has continued to impress, having been linked to Premier League side Crystal Palace this summer.