It was always going to be a summer of change at the Britannia Stadium; five new players joined Stoke City in the summer along with new boss Mark Hughes, signalling the end of the Tony Pulis era and hopefully the start of better things to come. Any purchases in the transfer window would have to be good on the ball and confident playing football ‘the right way’. The managerial change promised a new style of football and a new transfer policy of not spending huge sums of money on the limited and ageing talents that the previous regime seemed to prefer. Eight games have been played in all competitions and most of the new boys have had enough game time to show everyone what they’re made of, and with the Potters decent start to the season it’s mostly positives.
Erik Pieters was the first buy of the Mark Hughes era following years of playing a central midfielder at left back the new manager did what Pulis never wanted to – he bought an actual full back. It meant that Marc Wilson could be used in midfield more, something all Stoke fans wanted to see and so far this season he’s impressed in his numerous midfield appearances. As for Pieters, he’s played in all six of Stoke’s league meetings and has proven why he has 17 caps for the Dutch national team. Stoke have been crying out for a full back that is good in both defence and attack – Pieters has already shown he is the answer, and for the cost of just £3 million it may end up being one of the signings of the summer.
No one would have believed – even with Hughes’ Barcelona connection – that a product of the Catalan side’s famed La Masia academy would move to Stoke-on-Trent. Just a few days after the signing of Erik Pieters, Spanish under-21 international Marc Muniesa’s signature was captured – costing Stoke the grand total of £0. A central defender who can also play full back, Muniesa was not expected to feature much at all for the Potters while Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross remain in excellent form, and so far he hasn’t made a single league appearance for his new club, however he has featured twice for the club in the Capital One Cup. His performances in victories against Walsall and then Tranmere Rovers have impressed Stoke supporters and he has already proven to be worthy backup for the current first choice defensive pairing. He is expected to play again in Stoke’s meeting with Birmingham City in the cup where he’ll once again be watched closely to see if he can continue to settle into English football.
Stoke haven’t dipped into the loan market for a number of years which is why the temporary signings of winger Oussama Assaidi and midfielder Stephen Ireland surprised Potters supporters. Assaidi has not played at all in the league amid rumours that he is struggling to settle in the country but similar to Muniesa he has played his part in Stoke’s Capital One Cup victories. With Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant being shadows of what they were in the 2010-11 season it is hoped that more is seen of the Liverpool winger, he would certainly add a bit more flair down the flanks. As for Ireland, since his excellent season under Hughes at Man City his career has floundered; the end of his time in Manchester was poor, his form when he moved to Aston Villa was still below par and a loan move to Newcastle failed to bring out his best form leaving Stoke fans questioning the need for this player. However in his four appearances so far – including a goal in the cup against Tranmere Rovers – he has impressed to the point where many feel he should be ahead of Charlie Adam in the pecking order. If Ireland can maintain this form it will be interesting to see if the club want to keep him on a permanent basis.
Perhaps the most exciting addition from the perspective of a Stoke fan was the signing of Austria international Marko Arnautovic. The 24-year-old signed from Werder Bremen for just £2 million and although it is said that he is a loose cannon he has bundles of talent. So far in a Stoke shirt he has shown the ability to beat a man and that he possesses bags of pace – exactly the attributes Stoke wingers have been missing for the last few seasons. In his debut against Man City Arnautovic entered as a sub and was involved in two excellent chances for the Potters, unfortunately the game ended 0-0 but it was a hugely encouraging cameo from the Austrian. Overall he has featured four times for the team and although he was criticised for a lazy performance in the 1-0 home loss to Norwich there is still much excitement around what this player can bring to the team.
Not only did the club spend just £5 million on summer signings but they seem to have made the right ones too. Positions that desperately needed reinforcing were strengthened and if the opening eight games of the season are anything to go by the new players are certainly good enough to improve the team drastically, in what is generally believed to be a season of transition between Pulis’ route one tactics and Hughes’ passing philosophy.
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