Mark Robins eyes busy final month of transfer window for Stoke City
· Peter Smith · 2026-08-02 · nguồn gốc
Stoke City still have a lot of work to do in the transfer market and on the training pitch, said Mark Robins after winding up his pre-season friendly programme.
Stoke have brought in five new faces so far this summer and soft launch their campaign with a Carabao Cup first round tie against Oldham next weekend before a Championship curtain raiser against Swansea a week later.
There is a month left in the transfer window and Robins doesn’t want to let any opportunity pass to make the squad as strong as it can possibly be.
The Potters are looking to bring in new firepower and have been linked with a move for Ipswich Town centre-forward George Hirst while full-back is a priority while Junior Tchamadeu and Aaron Cresswell are stuck in the treatment room.
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“It’s an interesting comment about the squad being complete,” Robins told Radio Stoke after a 1-1 draw with Valencia at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday. “We’ll have to wait and see.
“I want to improve it, we all want to improve it, as quickly as possible, as much as possible and do as much as we possibly can do to do it.
“Players have had opportunity. There has been too much time and too many years that the club has been in the position it’s been in and nobody wants that to continue – so get on board.”
So far Stoke have signed keeper Josh Griffiths as cover and competition for Viktor Johansson, centre-half Luke Graham and midfielders Ethan Galbraith, Djibril Soumare and Svante Ingelsson.
Fit-again Soumare came off the bench in the closing stages against Valencia while Galbraith, who has been rested from the last two friendlies as a precaution, will train this week.
Bae Junho, who has been attracting interest this summer, also made his first appearance of pre-season after recovering from an injury which had derailed his World Cup with South Korea.
There will be outgoings as Stoke have to manage the size of the squad. Five senior players were left on the bench for the final friendly, which might give a hint about the pecking order for the early weeks.
Robins would not be drawn on whether Stoke will be able to get a lot of business done before the deadline on Tuesday, September 1.
He said: “You might do, you might not do but there’s definitely work to be done – and there’s other work to be done on the training ground as well. I’ve said that the lads have got an appetite and an aptitude for that and we can quickly improve.”
Stoke restricted Valencia in terms of chances and, following an early goal, Johansson was largely a spectator – as he and Griffiths had been against Everton on Tuesday.
Robins said: “I am (pleased about the defensive work) - but there are times when you win every game in pre-season and there are times when you lose them all and it doesn't necessarily have a bearing on anything.
“What it can do is show where you're at with the work you're doing and I think they're taking that on board pretty well. They're good lads, they've worked hard and it's over to the start of the cup next weekend.”
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