Stoke City consider move to capitalise on Luton Town player call | OneFootball

Versatile attacker Fred Onyedinma has been handed a trial with the PottersVersatile attacker Fred Onyedinma has been handed a trial with the Potters

Stoke City have taken free agent winger Fred Onyedinma on trial as he seeks to find a new club after departing Luton Town upon the expiry of his contract in July.

That's according to Stoke-on-TrentLive, who report that he was seen completing drills alongside Stoke's first-team squad at the club's open training session at the bet365 Stadium today.

The 27-year-old is assessing his future after being let go by Luton, and could seemingly make the move to the Potteries in the coming weeks as Potters boss Steven Schumacher weighs up his transfer options heading into the closing stages of the summer transfer window.

Onyedinma is a free agent after he was allowed to leave the Hatters at the end of last season, and he penned an emotional message to the Kenilworth Road faithful upon his exit, following three years at the club in which he played 60 games and helped them to win promotion to the Premier League in 2023.

He is now searching for the fifth club of his career after coming through the ranks at Millwall and featuring in their first-team, then playing for Wycombe Wanderers, Luton and Rotherham United on loan last season.

Onyedinma a potential target for Stoke and Wycombe

The Potters are not the only club that has been linked with a move for the 27-year-old this summer, after it recently emerged that he would be open to a return to League One outfit Wycombe, following three years away from Adams Park.

The Bucks Free Press reported on July 20 that the Lagos-born winger would welcome a potential approach from the Chairboys, but no new updates have come to light since, and it now seems as if Stoke have the advantage in the race to secure his signature.

Onyedinma first joined Wycombe on loan from Millwall in 2014/15, and he shone in League Two under Gareth Ainsworth, but could not quite help the Chairboys to promotion that year as they lost in the play-off final on penalties to Southend United.

He then returned to HP12 three years later with Wycombe in the third-tier, again on loan from the Lions, and featured for six months before returning to Millwall in January, but then finally made a permanent move to Adams Park in July 2019.

Onyedinma played a key role in the club's first-ever promotion to the Championship in 2020, as he won the penalty that led to their match-winning goal in the League One play-off final against Oxford United, and wrote himself into Wycombe folklore in the process.

A fourth return to Adams Park would have been the dream for many Chairboys fans this summer, but it will be tough to compete with Stoke's league standing and financial backing if the Potters wish to take him onboard permanently for the new season.

Onyedinma would give Schumacher a versatile option

Stoke are yet to bring a winger in so far this summer, but look to be in the market for one as they ramp up their transfer business with deadline day drawing ever closer.

The Potters recently welcomed Blackburn Rovers striker Sam Gallagher to the bet365 Stadium for a fee of up to £1.5m, and while they are not hamstrung by financial fair-play regulations as badly as in recent years, a flexible free signing like Onyedinma would make a lot of sense for Steven Schumacher as he looks to bolster his ranks in multiple different positions.

The 27-year-old is a right-winger by trade, but has previously featured in a host of roles across the pitch, including left-wing, centre-forward, attacking midfield, central midfield, right wing-back and right-back, so he could offer a seriously versatile option to the Potters head-coach if he is brought in following his trial.

Onyedinma would be able to give competition to the likes of Million Manhoef, Andre Vidigal and Bae Jun-ho in the wide attacking positions, as well as likely provide a strong back-up to right-back Junior Tchamadeu, who is Stoke's only out-and-out first-team player in that position as it stands.

He would also bring a wealth of Football League pedigree to a Potters squad that was possibly lacking that last season, after so many overseas arrivals in the summer, as well as experience of successful EFL teams after helping Millwall, Wycombe and Luton to respective promotions in 2017, 2020 and 2023.

It remains to be seen whether Onyedinma will be a Stoke player by the close of the transfer window on August 30, and his potential signing will likely hinge on his performances in training, and if he plays and impresses in Stoke's final friendly against AZ Alkmaar on August 3.