In an attempt to bring eventual glory to the Potteries, Stoke City appears to be settling under new head coach Narcis Pelach. The Spaniard will be patiently waiting to take advantage of his first opportunity to alter his squad in January.

After Pelach was appointed head coach after Steven Schumacher was fired in September, the Potters had a difficult start. However, they have only lost one of their last eight Championship games under the former Norwich coach, with players like Viktor Johansson, Tom Cannon, and Million Manhoef leading the team up the second division.

After being brought in just weeks after the summer transfer window closed, the 36-year-old was not involved in any of the club’s summer transfers. As a result, he will probably want to rotate his team in the new year with a number of incomings and outgoings, as well as keep some of his key players. Depending on the Potters’ league standing and performance at the time, this will be easier or more difficult.

As they attempt to move up from the bottom of the table, Stoke will undoubtedly be busy in the transfer market. In light of this, Football League World has described what the Potters’ ideal January transfer window may entail.

Viktor Johansson stays

Due to Viktor Johansson’s outstanding four years with Rotherham United—he helped them win promotion to the Championship in 2022 and went on to win their Player of the Year award in 2022–2023—it was not surprising when they were relegated in May and a real transfer battle broke out for his services.

The 26-year-old joined Stoke that same month for a reported £750,000 original cost, with possible add-ons pushing the total over £1 million. Under Schumacher and Pelach, he has improved his performances in the Potteries thus far this season.

The Potters’ finest player so far this season has been Johansson, whose outstanding saves each week have kept them in games and given newly hired manager Narcis Pelach the opportunity to supervise his remarkable recent run of just one loss in the last eight league games.

Any success they have in the second half of the season will depend heavily on their ability to hold onto the Swedish international, who has the best goals prevented (8.4) of any custodian in the Championship. Any big offers must be turned down right away.

Tom Cannon stays

Signing a summer loan With a striker shortage in Pelach’s squad, Stoke cannot afford to lose Tom Cannon, who has so far this season had the necessary impact in front of goal.

The Leicester City forward had a slow start to life in the Potteries, but he got back on track under his new manager with a four-goal haul against Portsmouth in early October to open his account in red and white with style. The Potters defeated some fierce competition to sign the forward on loan in the final week of the summer transfer window.

With three goals and an assist in his previous six games, he has continued to show promise. However, last month, it was discovered that he has a recall provision in his loan agreement, which the Foxes might activate in January to ship him off for a high price and leave the Potters short-changed.

With Sam Gallagher’s injury problems, Stoke cannot afford to let that happen. Instead, they need aggressive newcomers to join Cannon in attack, not to replace him.

The Potters must avoid losing their key striker, who has strong Championship credentials and could lead them to victory this season, as Gallagher has shown promise when he has played but is unreliable and neither Niall Ennis nor Emre Tezgel have demonstrated goal totals at the second-tier level.

Kwame Poku signs

Stoke clearly needs attacking additions in the center-forward position, and they currently lack a player or two on the wings. If they can avoid potentially difficult competition for his services, Kwame Poku, a right-winger for Peterborough United, would be the perfect addition in the new year.

With 10 goals and five assists in 15 games, Poku leads the League One scoring charts and is now one of the best players in English football. His outstanding performances have earned him the third-tier Player of the Month award in both September and October.

He is currently in the final year of his contract, so Posh may be open to a sale in January to fetch a decent fee for his services rather than likely nominal compensation next summer. Darren Ferguson called him “unplayable” following his recent hat-trick against Cambridge United. At this point, Posh is trying to tie down their star player to a new contract.

Posh is expected to draw additional transfer interest in the coming year after reportedly rejecting a proposal from Luton Town for his services in the summer. To date, no player in the top four divisions has contributed more goals this season than the 23-year-old.

The most recent team to be connected to a January deal for Poku is Blackburn Rovers; however, if Stoke decides to make a bid in the new year, they will believe they can provide more than the Ewood Park team in terms of money and long-term goals.

Emre Tezgel signs a new contract and is loaned out

Since Pelach took over in September, young striker Emre Tezgel has struggled for minutes and ought to be given the opportunity to leave on loan in January, if he agrees to a new contract with his boyhood club.

After Cannon, Sam Gallagher, and Niall Ennis, the 19-year-old is currently the Potters’ fourth strike option. Although he made a strong comeback to the first team scene under former manager Steven Schumacher at the beginning of the season, he has had very few opportunities in recent weeks, and at this point in his development, he needs to play regularly at the senior level.

He was a highly regarded youth striker for many years, and when he made his senior debut in January 2022 at the age of 16 and 112 days, he became the youngest player to ever play for Stoke. However, he struggled with injuries before joining MK Dons on loan in the most recent January window to support their play-off push, where he made 17 appearances and recorded three goals and assists each under Mike Williamson.

Tezgel was given a chance in Stoke’s squad at the beginning of the season, and he scored the team’s first goal against Carlisle United in the EFL Cup first round and the team’s second goal in a 5-0 thumping of Middlesbrough in the next round. However, since Pelach entered the game, he has only played 70 minutes overall in three substitute appearances.

If he is to be Stoke’s strike force in the long run, the club must promptly sign him to a new long-term contract before making any January loan moves, since his present one is set to expire at the conclusion of this season.