Stoke City are ‘down the line’ on a deal for a new centre-back, it has been said by Stoke on Trent Live.
Stoke City are hoping to finally push towards the top-end of the Championship table next season and fresh faces will be key in their bid to do so. So far though, only Enda Stevens and returning loan man Ben Pearson have joined the club.
A number of new signings are needed and one area in dire need of bolstering is central defence.
New signing Stevens is mainly a full-back or wing-back but has filled in on the left of a back three before, while versatile defender Tom Edwards has played in a back three too but he’s down the pecking order. It leaves just Connor Taylor and Ben Wilmot as the only natural centre-backs at the club.
Now though, Stoke on Trent Live has said that the Potters are moving closer to a centre-back signing. They’re ‘down the line’ in negotiations for a new option at the heart of defence as work goes on to sign Matija Sarkic and Daniel Johnson too.
New faces inbound
The hope is that there will be some new signings this week and amid promising reports on the likes of Sarkic and Johnson, Stoke City fans will be keen to see a centre-back follow them through the doors too.
The hard work certainly can’t slow down there though. A minimum of two centre-backs will be needed given the limited options currently available, unless Alex Neil is to bring a youngster through the youth ranks and into the first-team for the new season.
If that is to be the case, there will be a string of academy prospects bidding to catch the eye during pre-season to reassure the boss that he doesn’t need to dip into the market for potentially a third new centre-back.
