Stoke City is still trying to stay in the second division with three games left in the Championship campaign.
After Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, the Potters are sitting in 20th place, only three points above safety.
In spite of this, it appears that the team is maybe making plans for their time in the Championship the next season.
Stoke City is considering Jay Rodriguez of Burnley.
TEAMtalk claims that Stoke is planning a summer transfer for Jay Rodriguez of Burnley.
The 34-year-old Clarets striker’s contract at Turf Moor expires in the summer, and if a new agreement isn’t reached, the Potters intend to sign him for nothing.
Given that no new deal is reportedly on the table, Rodriguez might leave this summer for no reason, according to The TEAMtalk article.
Rodriguez might be a wise addition to Stoke.
Some of our FLW writers have covered some aspects of the possible transaction below, keeping in mind the links mentioned above.
Our authors discuss what the 34-year-old Rodriguez could offer to Bet365 Stadium and whether or not he would be a beneficial addition for the Potters.
Hannifin-Donaldson, Simmey
Before the summer, this transfer link is undoubtedly intriguing, but it might make sense for the Potters.
This season, the team has really struggled to score goals, especially from their forwards.
For instance, Stoke City is currently in a relegation battle while being 21st out of 24 Championship teams in terms of goals scored thus far in the campaign.
To emphasise that point even more, Ryan Mmaee has only scored three league goals this season, while left-winger Andre Vidigal has scored the fewest goals for the team with six.
Having said that, it makes likely that Stoke is considering strikers this summer, and signing Rodriguez for nothing could be a wise move. He not only had a lot of championship experience, but he could also score goals.
The 34-year-old, for instance, scored 64 goals in the division last season while playing for Burnley’s squad and even scored 10 goals in 28 games.
Rodriguez would also offer a wealth of promotion-winning experience, which is probably the ultimate goal for an ambitious club like Stoke, even though it looks far off at the moment.
All in all, if Rodriguez’s wage expectations are realistic, this seems like a reasonable deal for Stoke to investigate.
Benigno
There is no denying Rodriguez’s skill in front of goal; over the years, he has primarily scored goals at the Championship level and occasionally in the Premier League.
In his final season in the Championship, 2022–2023; an excellent record considering that he only started 20 games (switching off the bench in the remaining eight games) and scored 10 goals.
But considering that Rodriguez will be 35 years old when the 2024–25 season begins, and considering that Stoke could need a little more upper-level experience to support Niall Ennis and Ryan Mmaee in the coming campaign—assuming they part ways with Tyrese Campbell and Wesley—this could be a poor decision.
The experienced striker might want a respectable salary, which is something Stoke is attempting to avoid these days in favour of taking risks on younger foreign signings as part of their transfer strategy.
Rodriguez might be fine as a rotational player or substitute if the pay is reasonable and he isn’t starting every week, but Stoke should be looking forward rather than back when it comes to hiring because their place in the Championship next season is far from assured at this point.
