Viktor Johansson stays: What Stoke City’s perfect January transfer window looks like.
Stoke City look to be finding their feet under recently-appointed head coach Narcis Pelach, and the Spaniard will be waiting patiently to seize his first chance to change his squad in January as he aims to bring eventual success to the Potteries.
The Potters endured a tough start under Pelach after he was made head-coach following Steven Schumacher’s September sacking, but have lost just one of their last eight Championship games under the former Norwich coach, as the likes of Tom Cannon, Million Manhoef and Viktor Johansson lead the team up the second tier.
The 36-year-old was not involved in any of the club’s transfers over the summer after being brought in just weeks after the window had ended, and so will likely want to change up his squad with a good few incomings and some outgoings in the new year, as well as retain some of his key men, which will be easier, or tougher, dependent on the Potters’ league position and form at the time.
Stoke will definitely be active in the transfer market as they look to pull away from the lower end of the table, and with that in mind, Football League World have detailed what the Potters’ perfect January transfer window could look like.
Viktor Johansson stays
Viktor Johansson, Jacob Widell Zetterstrom
Viktor Johansson was impressive in his four years with Rotherham United, as he helped them win promotion to the Championship in 2022 and then won their Player of the Year award for 2022/23, and so it did not come as a surprise to see a real transfer battle commence for his signature upon their relegation in May.
The 26-year-old made the move to Stoke that same month for a reported initial £750,000 fee, with potential add-ons taking it beyond the £1-million mark, and has seen his performances go up another notch in the Potteries so far this term under both Schumacher and Pelach.
Johansson has been the Potters’ best performer so far this term, and his brilliant saves week-in, week-out have kept them in games and allowed recently-appointed boss Narcis Pelach to oversee his impressive recent run of just one loss in the last eight league outings.
Viktor Johansson’s 2024/25 Championship statistics
Appearances
15
Goals conceded
19
Post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed (PSxG-GA)
+0.62.
Save percentage
75.3%
Saves per 90
3.93
Penalty kick record
1/1
Stats as per FBref.
The Swedish international’s goals prevented, at 8.4, is by far and away the best among goalkeepers in the Championship, and so keeping hold of him in the new year will be absolutely key to any success they have in the second-half of the season, and any potential sizable offers must be immediately knocked back.
Tom Cannon stays
tom cannon stoke
Summer loan signing Tom Cannon has had the desired effect in front of goal for Stoke so far this term, and the club cannot afford to lose him in the midst of a striker crisis in Pelach’s squad.
The Potters beat off some very strong competition to secure the Leicester City frontman on loan in the last week of the summer window, and he endured a slow start to life in the Potteries, yet returned to the right track under his new boss with a four-goal haul against Portsmouth in early October to open his account in red and white with aplomb.
He has kept on impressing since, with three goals and an assist in his last six games, but developments last month revealed that he has a recall clause in his loan deal that the Foxes could potentially trigger in January to sell him on for a sizeable fee and leave the Potters short-changed.
Stoke’s striker situation means that they cannot afford to let that happen, with Sam Gallagher’s injury woes meaning they are in need of attacking additions to join Cannon in attack, not instead of him.
Gallagher has impressed when he has played, but can not be relied on, and neither Niall Ennis nor Emre Tezgel have proven goal records at second-tier level, so it is pretty imperative that the Potters do not lose their main striker who boasts decent Championship credentials and could fire them to success this season.
Kwame Poku signs
Kwame Poku
Stoke’s need for attacking additions in the centre-forward position is clear, and they are also a player or two short on the wings as it stands, so someone like Peterborough United right-winger Kwame Poku would be an ideal signing in the new year if they can beat off potentially tough competition for his signature.
Poku is one of the most in-form players in English football right now, and sits atop of the League One scoring charts with 10 goals and five assists in 15 matches, while he has picked up the third-tier’s Player of the Month award for both September and October as a result of his standout showings.
Darren Ferguson dubbed him “unplayable” in the wake of his recent hat-trick against Cambridge United, and Posh are currently trying to tie down their star man to a new contract, as he is in the final year of his deal right now, so the club may be open to a sale in January to fetch a decent fee for his services rather than likely nominal compensation next summer.
No player in the top four tiers has had a hand in more goals this season than the 23-year-old up to now, and he is bound to attract more transfer attention in the new year after Posh reportedly rebuffed a bid from Luton Town for his services in the summer.
Blackburn Rovers are the latest club to be linked with a possible January move for Poku, but Stoke will feel that they can offer more than the Ewood Park side in both financial terms and long-term aims, if they look to make a move in the new year.
Emre Tezgel signs a new contract and is loaned out
Emre Tezgel of Stoke City
Young striker Emre Tezgel has struggled for minutes since Pelach took over in September, and should be offered a loan exit in January on the one condition that he signs a new deal at his boyhood club.
The 19-year-old is currently the Potters’ fourth strike option, behind Cannon, Sam Gallagher and Niall Ennis, and while he enjoyed a successful re-emergence onto the first-team scene under previous boss Steven Schumacher at the start of the campaign, his opportunities have been very limited in recent weeks, and he needs to play consistently at senior level at this stage of his development.
He has been highly rated for a number of years as a youth striker, and became the youngest player to ever play for Stoke when he made his senior debut in January 2022 at 16 years and 112 days old, but suffered injury issues before he joined MK Dons on loan in the last January window to help with their play-off push, where he made 17 appearances and registered three goals and assists each under Mike Williamson.
Tezgel was given his chance in Stoke’s squad at the start of the season, and netted his first goal for the club in the EFL Cup first round against Carlisle United, and his second was the opener in a 5-0 thrashing of Middlesbrough in the next round, but he has played just 70 combined minutes in three substitute appearances since Pelach came in.
His current contract is set to expire at the end of this season, so prior to any January loan move, it is imperative that the club tie him down to a new long-term deal as quickly as possible if he is to be the future of Stoke’s strike force in the long-term.
