Stoke City face two transfer concerns, one involves Tom Cannon | OneFootball

The Potters will have some worries ahead of the January window

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 10 Championship games under the former Norwich coach, and currently sit in mid table with the squad working and gelling together well.

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, 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, but could face some trouble keeping hold of Pelach's key men, so with that in mind, Football League World have detailed two potential transfer concerns that the Potters may have ahead of the upcoming window.

Tom Cannon is recalled by Leicester City

Summer loan signing Tom Cannon has been very effective in front of goal for Stoke so far this term, and the club cannot afford to lose him in the January window if they wish to continue their challenge for a top-half finish and not get dragged into a relegation battle this season.

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, but has come into form under Pelach, starting with a four-goal haul against Portsmouth in early October to open his account in red and white with aplomb.

He has consistently impressed since, and has shown great signs of his clinical striking ability and quick movement in the final third, so currently sits joint-third in the Championship scoring charts with seven league goals to his name so far, and four strikes in his last five games in all competitions.

However, crucial recent developments have 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, which seems increasingly likely if he continues to net in the lead up to the new year.

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, with either likely to depart themselves in the new year, so it is pretty imperative that the Potters do not lose their main striker that boasts some decent Championship credentials.

Viktor Johansson is sold

Swedish keeper 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 Pelach to oversee his impressive recent run of just one loss in the last nine league outings.

The Swedish international's goals prevented, at 8.5, is by far and away the best among all 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 potentially sizeable offers must be immediately knocked back.

No claims have emerged about possible interest in Johansson's signature in the January window as yet, but his impressive performances will certainly not be going unnoticed, and given his age and potential to improve even further, clubs looking for a quick fix to their goalkeeping troubles could attempt to sign the Swede as soon as possible.