Forget Souttar: Stoke City should target this Leicester City player - View | OneFootball

The Potters should target Ben Nelson as a move for Souttar looks unlikely at this stage

Highlights

Stoke City are set to be busy in the final month of the transfer window as boss Steven Schumacher shapes his new-look squad ahead of his first full campaign in charge.

Schumacher will be hoping to build on a strong end to last season in the coming months, as Stoke staved off relegation and finished 17th in the Championship in 2023/24.

The Potters are yet to sell any player for a transfer fee so far this summer, yet have seen the likes of Tyrese Campbell and Wesley leave the club upon the expiry of their contracts, while centre-backs Matthew Baker and David Okagbue have rejoined Newport County and Walsall on respective permanent deals and young goalkeeper Tommy Simkin has also joined the Saddlers on a season-long loan.

Stoke have brought in four new faces to the club so far, with goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, centre-back Ben Gibson, wing-back Eric Bocat and striker Sam Gallagher arriving from Rotherham United, Norwich City, Sint-Truiden and Blackburn Rovers respectively.

Schumacher is set to be in the market for a new centre-back along with Gibson, and he has recently been linked with an audacious swoop for former Potters centre-back and current Leicester City man Harry Souttar by the Telegraph's John Percy.

Souttar is also reportedly being chased by Sheffield United, and there is long-standing interest in his signature from his boyhood club Rangers, so a move back to Stoke seems 'unlikely,' according to Stoke-on-Trent Live.

Instead of Souttar, Stoke should target another Foxes centre-back in Ben Nelson, as he looks to be available for loan in the coming weeks and would be a solid addition to Schumacher's backline for the new season.

Nelson has enjoyed a quick rise in recent years to become a permanent part of the Foxes first-team in the last year, but he looks set to seal a temporary move away this summer following their promotion back to the Premier League.

The 20-year-old was named in numerous Premier League and Europa League matchday squads in 2021/22, while playing a key role for the U21 side, then impressed on loan to League Two sides Rochdale and Doncaster Rovers in 2022/23 to earn a place in the Enzo Maresca's Championship title-winning squad last season.

He made his senior Foxes bow against Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Cup last August, and went on to feature nine times in all competitions, also netting his first goal for the club away to QPR in March as Maresca's side romped to a return to the top-flight.

Nelson was praised by his now former-boss for his performances last campaign, and he signed a new three-and-a-half year contract in December to ward off reported long-time interest from Premier League champions Manchester City, but he will surely be on the move on loan before the transfer window closes with new Leicester boss Steve Cooper likely to put more trust in his senior options in the top-flight.

Sunderland have reportedly made an enquiry about taking the 20-year-old on loan for the season, according to journalist Michael Graham, but he is also being tracked by a number of second-tier clubs, and one of those should be Stoke as they search for reinforcements to their defence.

Nelson is a more realistic target for the Potters than Souttar, who left the bet365 Stadium for a reported £15m just over 18 months ago, and they should move their focus to bringing in the 20-year-old, rather than chase the Australian international who seemingly has better offers on the table.

Given Souttar's previous experience and clear quality, he is set to be tracked by higher clubs than Stoke, and likely given a better opportunity to prove his talents, despite the sentimental value that a move back to the Potteries may hold for fans and the 25-year-old alike.

Nelson, however, is being tracked by Sunderland, who finished on the same points as Stoke last season and hold less financial power than the Potters, so it seems a more logical pursuit for Schumacher and co, and they would be getting a player that could mature into one of the second-tier's standout centre-backs throughout the campaign.

Stoke need another centre-back

The links to Souttar are a sign that Stoke are set to be in the market for one more new signing at the heart of their defence, following Michael Rose's injury, which is due to rule him out for up to ten weeks of action.

The Potters currently have Rose, Ben Wilmot and new man Ben Gibson as their senior centre-back options for the campaign ahead, as well as highly-rated youngsters Jaden Dixon and Freddie Anderson, who could be given chances in the first-team after featuring in pre-season, but are unlikely to be trusted to play every week in the Championship.

Rose picked up an ankle injury in a friendly at Crewe Alexandra on July 23 and is set to be sidelined until at least the end of September, which has led Steven Schumacher to admit that a centre-back signing is "high on the priority list" before the transfer window closes on August 30.

Nelson would be an ideal addition to the heart of Schumacher's defence, as he would add youth, but also some second-tier experience to a backline that is looking somewhat weaker at this point than it has in previous seasons.

Gibson is a solid signing, but on the wrong side of 30 and has been known to be injury-prone at his previous clubs, while Wilmot has not quite been able to rediscover his strong form from before his consecutive back and knee injuries last year, so Stoke fans will be thankful to see centre-back reinforcements this month, and should be especially pleased if Nelson makes the move across the Midlands to bolster their rearguard.