"Obviously something there" - Stoke City reaction issued to £1.5m forward transfer chase | OneFootball

FLW's Stoke City fan pundit has given his reaction to reports that the club have made a £1.5 million bid for Hibernian winger Elie Youan.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It could be a busy end to the transfer window for Stoke City as new manager Mark Robins continues to reshape his squad.

It has been an incredibly underwhelming season for the Potters, that has seen the dismissals of both Steven Schumacher and Narcis Pelach, but there have been small signs of improvement under Robins in recent weeks.

Robins picked up his first league victory since taking over in Staffordshire with a crucial 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Hull City at the MKM Stadium on Saturday, and that moved his side up to 18th in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Stoke have brought in two new signings so far in the winter window, with defender Josh Wilson-Esbrand and striker Ali Al-Hamadi joining on loan from Manchester City and Ipswich Town respectively, but that may not be the end of their transfer business, and they have reportedly made a bid in the region of £1.5 million plus add-ons for Hibernian winger Elie Youan.

Youan has scored 21 goals and provided 19 assists in 94 appearances since making the move to Easter Road from Swiss side St Gallen in the summer of 2022, and the Potters are not the only second tier club eyeing the 25-year-old, with Blackburn Rovers also said to be keen.

Stoke City fan pundit reacts as Elie Youan bid submitted

When asked for his thoughts on the potential signing of Youan, FLW's Stoke City fan pundit Daniel Buxton admitted he has not seen too much of the Frenchman, but he said the Potters are in need of attacking reinforcements before Monday's deadline.

"I can't say I know too much about him to be fair," Daniel said.

"I've not seen him play too much.

"Three goal contributions in 13 Scottish Premiership games doesn't scream exciting, but you don't know what issues he's having, maybe he's carrying injuries or maybe the change of manager (from Nick Montgomery in May 2024 to David Gray) or style hasn't suited him.

"There are different factors, but if he's valued at £1.5 million, there's obviously something there and we've seen something that we like.

"I'd be happy with that, and the more attacking options we can get in, the better as we're so short on the ground at the minute.

"Even if we bring players in who look like they're on a downward trend, we could maybe reignite the kind of mentality we had under Tony Pulis."

Elie Youan may be too much of a gamble for Stoke City to take

Stoke are still dealing with the consequences of Ricky Martin's disastrous spending spree last summer, so they cannot afford to make too many mistakes in the transfer market.

Youan has scored just two goals and registered two assists in 14 games in an injury-disrupted campaign for Hibernian this season, and although his overall record at Easter Road makes for much better reading, he would still be an incredibly risky signing for the Potters, particularly for a seven-figure transfer fee.

With question marks over how the standard of the Scottish Premiership compares to the Championship, there is no guarantee that Youan would be able to replicate his form at the bet365 Stadium, so it is a deal that Stoke should avoid for now.