Three players who could be on their way to Stoke next month

As far as everyone is connected with Stoke City they will no doubt be delighted that their season has taken an upward trajectory after a slightly concerting start to the season. With performances improving and with that an upturn in results, Stoke manager Mark Hughes is no longer looking over his shoulder at the teams below him and can now look to once again lead The Potters into the top half of the table.

Stoke do tend to have a habit of starting off slowly and it does make you wonder if they could get out of the blocks quicker than a real challenge for the Europa League places would not be a distant possibility. That said a continued run of form come the turn of the year to assist the chances of earning a place in Europe next season.

To do that they will probably need to add a few more new faces to the squad over the next few weeks. So that said let’s take a look at three players who could be making their way to the Bet365 Stadium.

Lee Grant

Now with Grant already in Stoke colours at present this one may be a little obvious but if there was one man that has turned round Stoke’s fortunes this season it’s the on loan Derby County goalkeeper. The 33 year old was signed on a 6 month loan from Derby County as has been an almost instant hit with Stoke fans.

After Jack Butland was injured on international duty back in March, Stoke were left with only Shay Given as a recgonised senior keeper. Now in years gone by he would have been a very able deputy but heavy defeats to Manchester City, Tottenham and Crystal Palace showed that father time had finally caught up with Given and further reinforcement to the goalkeeping ranks were required.

And this is where Grant has almost been the saviour for Stoke. His performances in goal have offered Stoke so much needed stability at the back and fans will now be clamouring to make sure that the former Derby keeper is signed on a permanent basis in the January transfer window and with Jack Butland still not given a return date it could almost be a necessity.

Sergio Oliveira

When it comes to purchasing players from FC Porto Mark Hughes is certainly no stranger. After the record signing of Giannell Imbula last year and the current loan capture of Bruno Martins-Indi, Hughes looks ready to add a third player from the ranks of the Portuguese giants

The man in question is 24 year old Sergio Oliveria. It may not be a name that many outside Portuguese football are aware of but that doesn’t mean he is going under the radar of many European scouting networks. If Stoke are to earn his services then they may well have a battle on their hands.

And it’s not just interest from English sides either as both Palermo and Cagliari are in the running for his signature when the transfer window reopens in a couple of weeks. It might not be a name that will necessarily have Stoke fans talking but there is no questioning the players potential.

A staple of Portugal’s youth setup he has represented the current European Champions youth sides from Under 16 all the way through to Under 21. With a direct route to first team football blocked in his homeland Mark Hughes may just offer him the perfect route to stardom with a move to Stoke.

Sam Lammers

Another name that Stoke have been continually linked with as of late is that of Dutch forward Sam Lammers. The 19 year old is currently plying his trade for PSV Eindhoven but with the column inches he seems to getting recently it must be surely on be a matter of time before he joins the long list of Dutch strikers to move to the Premier League.

The 6ft2 forward has only recently been called up to the first team squad after a string of impressive performances for the clubs reserve side. Lammers has scored 10 times in 23 appearances for the side which features in the Dutch Second Division.

And it’s that rate of goals which has earned him a place in the first team squad with Lammers going on to make his full debut earlier this season. But with that call up it has also attracted a whole fleet of clubs from across Europe who are looking to add a new forward to their ranks.

PSV will undoubtedly want to keep hold of this prodigious talent but as is always the way with the Eindhoven based outfit they will struggle to do so if and when clubs from Europe’s bigger leagues decide to make a bid. With Stoke looking short of options in attack and especially with Peter Crouch linked with a move to Sunderland, Lammers could very well be a useful addition come January.