Championship clubs will do most of their buying in the UK this summer and Stoke City will be no exception – but Alex Neil has a history of bringing in recruits from abroad and he wouldn’t rule out his toes abroad dips waters again.
At Norwich City, Preston North End and Sunderland, Neil has brought in players who were not household names from leagues such as Croatia, Germany, Ireland and Denmark.
“What we’re looking for is talent, whether they’re at home or abroad doesn’t matter,” said Neil during a Q&A with Stoke supporters earlier this year. “I’ve shopped in all kinds of markets. It’s a bit complicated at the moment because of Brexit and everything, but we can talk about that all evening.”
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Huge amounts have come in – like £10m at Norwich on central defender Timm Klose and £1.3m, a hefty chunk of money for Preston, on Emil Riis, as well as scraps and loans.
Riis was not entirely unknown in England. He had been in the junior books at Derby County, which Neil brought up as important when he arrived at Deepdale. But he was 12 months behind playing for Denmark Under-21 and in the Superliga, helping Randers to a mid-table finish, but with traits that caught the eye of data analysts, scouts and Neil, who quickly labeled him “a big machine’. “.
In fact, it sounds like a pretty similar missing piece of the puzzle – long, strong and fast – to what Neil has suggested was not on his Stoke team in recent months.
“I generally don’t give individual praise, but he’s looking really good at the moment,” the manager said in October 2020. “He’s got a little bit of everything, he’s strong, he can do it himself, he can grab the ball.” in and it’s such a weapon to have. To be honest, every successful team I’ve had has had a centre-forward like that – we’ve been looking for someone to do that. ”
It didn’t immediately translate into goals, but he scored 20 goals in all competitions in 2021/22 and has been linked with a move to Middlesbrough. The final campaign was impacted by injuries, but missed the second half entirely due to a Stoke knee problem. He is expected again in August or September.
Neil signed right-back Ivo Pinto from Dinamo Zagreb for Norwich and was a regular in his two-and-a-half seasons at Carrow Road, while powerful striker Dieumerci Mbokani, who joined Dinamo Kyiv on loan, contributed in the Premier League.
Nelson Oliveira, who had many links with Stoke in Mark Hughes’ first summer, joined from Benfica but was loaned out to Swansea and Nottingham Forest. He scored 20 times in 70 games.
Sunderland’s transfers are heavily overseen by sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and head of recruitment Stuart Harvey, but last summer Neil oversaw the arrival of wingers Leon Dajaku, from Union Berlin, and Jewison Bennette, from Herediano.
Dajaku was loaned to the Stadium of Light last season, while Costa Rican international Bennette, just 18 years old, showed glimpses of his potential from the bench.
“He’s a huge talent and an international player,” said Neil when the deal was finalized. “Our model is to find the best young talent and try to develop them, so it’s very exciting for everyone. We have to be patient and give him time to acclimatize to a new country and learn the language – he is definitely one for the future.”
However, Neil was on his way to Stoke the next day – and now he’s taking the lead in recruiting. There’s almost too much to do to rule anything out.
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