‘The Expectation Is’ – Star’s Stoke City Move On Track

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Stoke City target Milan Smit will travel to Nice with Go Ahead Eagles before heading to England, but ‘the expectation’ is that he ‘will be allowed to travel’ after the game.

 

The Potters are seventh in the Championship table after a steady start to their campaign.

 

Stoke have a chance of leapfrogging Preston North End, and into the playoff spots with a win against Middlesbrough this evening.

 

 

Manchester City loanee Divin Mubama will not be available to lead the line against Middlesbrough though, after the injury he suffered against Queens Park Rangers.

 

Mubama was stretchered off after requiring oxygen, with the forward coming off on the wrong end of a challenge by Jimmy Dunne.

 

 

Stoke have been forced into the transfer market to find a replacement, with Mubama returning to Manchester City to recover, as Sam Gallagher and Robert Bozenik are also sidelined.

 

 

The Potters were on the hunt for an urgent replacement when Smit emerged as a viable target, prompting Stoke to put in a €5.5m bid, which was accepted by Go Ahead Eagles.

 

 

It has now emerged that Smit will travel with Go Ahead Eagles to Nice for their Europa League fixture, which raised some concern for Stoke fans.

 

 

However, according to Dutch journalist Jeroen Kapteijns, ‘the expectation’ is that Smit will not play in the game against the French.

 

 

It is suggested that ‘he will be allowed to travel’ to England either later today or tomorrow, when he will undergo a medical with Stoke.

 

There do remain a few minor administrative issues to resolve between the clubs.

 

The fee will be a record for Go Ahead Eagles, surpassing the €4m they received from Rangers for Oliver Antman.

 

Former Championship star Sam Parkin said in December that promotion looked unlikely for Stoke after a drubbing at the hands of Sheffield United.

 

Ex-Championship manager Omer Riza also stated that Stoke had overachieved with an average squad.

 

The arrival of Smit will shore up the front line and help Stoke tide over the injuries to their strikers. 

 

Mubama’s injury, having damaged his ligaments, is not as bad as initially feared in the aftermath when manager Mark Robins believed that he had suffered a fracture. 

 

Stoke have been goal-shy throughout the season, having scored the fewest goals along with Millwall amongst the top 14 in the table. 

 

Robins will hope Smit and a quick recovery for Mubama can rectify that, with their target men not only holding up play, but also holding the club up in the top six. 

 

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