Stoke City are in trouble once again, with the club sitting at 15th place in the Championship, no-where close to a promotion or even a playoff spot. Instead, the Potters are languishing at the bottom, safe from relegation but ten points away from sixth-placed Derby County. It has led the club to sack former manager Gary Rowett and hire Nathan Jones, and the 45-year-old is looking to make his first impact in the January transfer window.
The Daily Mail has revealed that his first target is Burnley’s Sam Vokes as he looks to add goals to Stoke City’s game. So far, their top-scorer is former Wolves and Bournemouth star Benik Afobe. The 25-year-old has scored seven goals. However, that isn’t enough for a club aiming to get back into the Premier League. While both Tom Ince and Joe Allen have added six goals apiece, they still need a more reliable goal-scorer.
If there is anything, Sam Vokes is consistent and reliable, especially in the Championship, with the 29-year-old scoring 15 and 20 goals in his final two seasons there. But his Premier League career hasn’t hit the same heights. Vokes did score 12 in his first season in the top-tier. However, since then, things have petered out for the Burnley front-man.
A move to Stoke City could do both sides some good as the Championship side needs a reliable centre-forward, but not someone who can only score goals. What manager Nathan Jones is looking for is someone who can contribute to their build-up play and even be a huge presence in the opposition box.
That’s something that Vokes excels at and given his lack of game time of late, the 29-year-old has made one start and come off the bench six times in the last 10 games. Nevertheless, for Stoke City what does make the move a viable one is the fact that Burnley are after Vincent Janssen (h/t the Daily Mail) and thus, this paves the way for Vokes to leave Turf Moor.
Stoke City do need to make a move as soon as possible because the January transfer window slams shut soon and not adding another striker will hinder their progress. The Potters need to start mounting a fight-back if they ever want to play Premier League football in the near future. Adding Sam Vokes to their books will help them massively.
