In an effort to assemble a team capable of challenging for promotion from the Championship this season, the Potters were able to add no less than 17 new players before the market closed at the beginning of September.
The club made several of investments during that time, with Stoke covering the costs of eleven of those new hires.
But the Potters have had the opportunity to invest before; they have also recently spent a large sum of money on a few
Check out the people on this list to see whether you agree with the choices; however, Potters lovers should be aware that this may need some difficult reading.
other players
But how effective were some of the club’s most significant investments over the years?
Stoke were willing to pay an estimated €19.4 million to sign Wimmer from Spurs in the summer of 2017, despite the fact that he had difficulty getting playing time with Tottenham in his first two seasons there.
In his first season with the club, the full-back made just 19 appearances for the Potters and received harsh criticism for his efforts as the team was relegated from the Premier League that year.
Wimmer was on the books at Stoke for three more seasons, but he never played another game for the team. Instead, he spent time on loan with different clubs in Europe before being released on a free transfer in 2021.
In the 2013–14 season, Berahino made his debut with West Brom. Over the following few seasons, the Baggies were able to depend on him as a reliable goal scorer.
Because of this, Stoke reportedly paid him a record €13.9 million in January 2017. However, a return of five goals in 56 appearances, all of which came after being demoted to the Championship, is insufficient for a center forward with Berahino’s potential.
After joining Zulte Waregem after being released by Stoke in the summer of 2019, his former Potters colleague Glen Johnson gave a critical assessment of Berahino’s attitude there in an interview with TALKSport.
Late in the January 2018 transfer window, Stoke acquired Ndiaye from Galatasaray for an estimated €16 million.
The midfielder stayed on the books at Stoke for a further three years, but he spent a large portion of that time on loan elsewhere because he was unable to stop the Potters from being relegated to the Championship at the end of that season.
The Senegal international played in just 28 appearances and scored twice while playing for Stoke before being granted a free move to Greek club Aris in the summer of 2021.
In June 2018, Afobe moved to Stoke on loan from Wolves. The deal was made permanent in January for a reported sum of roughly £12 million.
Even though he only managed to score nine goals in 49 total appearances, the striker at least managed to finish as the Potters’ top scorer in his first season with the team.
The following season, a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury prevented him from playing on loan with Bristol City, and his Stoke career never fully recovered. Before being officially transferred to the Lions in the summer of 2022, he spent time on loan with Trabzonspor and Millwall, the latter of which allowed him to demonstrate that he still had something to give in the Championship.
