Robins weighing up ideal way to shop in the window

MARK Robins is putting the emphasis on getting transfer business right for Stoke City this month rather than getting it done fast.

- Peter Smith

Stoke have been walloped by a series of injuries over Christmas and the new year that left Robins travelling to Norwich without seven senior players on Sunday, including Junior Tchamadeu, who is currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon.

But Tchamadeu will be back within a fortnight, left-backs Eric Bocat and Aaron Cresswell are hoping to be fit again at a similar time and midfielder Lewis Baker could be back this month, as well as centre-half Ben Gibson.

Robins, with limited funds available due to profit and sustainability restrictions, doesn’t want to jump the gun and focus on a position that might be naturally resolved sooner rather than later.

But there are bigger injury concerns over keeper Viktor Johansson (shoulder) and centre-forward Robert Bozenik (shoulder) and there are internal discussions about what should be the priority before deadline day on February 2.