Mark Robins’ Viktor Gyokeres blueprint as Stoke City seek transfer breakthrough
Stoke City are about to shift into another gear in their first summer of the Mark Robins era
Stoke City are about to step into the next chapter of their first summer under Mark Robins.
The transfer window re-opens tomorrow after a six-day pause, players will be back at Clayton Wood for the start of pre-season training in less than a fortnight and the Championship will kick off in eight weeks’ time. Deadline day is September
There is a lot of work to do before then but, with Sorba Thomas having been welcomed as the first permanent signing of the Robins era, Stoke hope they are on the road to a breakthrough that will see them get more signings right and make sure the club moves in the right direction.
Robins isn’t the only one behind the deals – he is working closely with Jon Walters and Ian Torrance – but we have turned to someone who has known the manager well to get an idea of what to expect from the next two or three months. Andy Turner, from CoventryLive, was a first-hand witness as Robins pulled Coventry from League Two to the brink of the Premier League and he has offered insight into the consistently successful recruitment that came along the way.
Andy Turner: The one thing that Coventry City got consistently right over Mark Robins’ seven and a half year tenure was recruiting good characters who helped forge a strong dressing room through several squad reincarnations moving up the divisions to eventually knocking on the door of the Premier League and an FA Cup final.
New signings had a variety of qualities, with technical ability to be comfortable on the ball and play out through the thirds a hallmark once established in the Championship, but I would say getting the right personalities and leaders was a hallmark throughout his impressive time in charge.
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Bolton Wanderers have been told to finalise a move for Niall Ennis if they do sell Aaron Collins in the summer window.
Steven Schumacher is preparing for his first full campaign in charge of the Trotters, so a busy summer awaits, with the League One side already doing business, with Sam Dalby a notable arrival.
There have been a few, from Callum O’Hare who joined on a free transfer from Aston Villa and became a key player in Coventry’s promotion out of League One and establishing themselves back in the Championship, to Gustavo Hamer who cost just over £1m and went on to be an outstanding midfielder and huge fan favourite who drove the team to the 2023 play-off final before being sold for around £15m.
But the standout man has to be Viktor Gyokeres, initially taken on loan as a relative unknown from Brighton and upgraded to a permanent deal for around £1m a few months later. The Sweden international scored 18 goals in his first full season and 22 in his second, becoming arguably the best striker in the division before being sold to Sporting Lisbon for around £20m (inc add-ons that have been achieved) in two stellar years in Portugal where he’s now one of the hottest strikers in the world.
What was his record like when he spent a bit more money on a player?
The biggest signing in terms of transfer fees was for Haji Wright in the summer of 2023 when the USA international came in to replace Gyokeres for a club record of £7.7m and scored 19 goals in his first season at the CBS Arena, playing a key role in the club’s FA Cup run that saw off Premier League Wolves in the quarter finals before going agonisingly close to beating Manchester United in the semis when a controversial VAR decision denied them a place in the final. Wright scored 12 in his second season, during which time he was sidelined for almost four months with injury.
Other big fees were spent on the likes of Jack Rudoni (£3.8m from Huddersfield) last summer and whose stock has risen considerably over the last 12 months after scoring 10 goals and wading in with 13 assists – better numbers than Jobe Bellingham who has just gone to Borussia Dortmund for almost £27m.
Robins has talked about his track record of developing youth too. Who are the best examples of that?
One that springs to mind goes back to the club’s League Two campaign when academy graduate Tom Bayliss burst onto the scene, being given the opportunity and game time and flourishing before eventually being sold on to Preston North End for around £2m.
