Stoke City opinion: Should the Potters sign Lee Gregory?
In their first season back in the Championship after a long and rather successful spell in the Premier League, Stoke City have managed to halt the drop.
Unlike Sunderland, the Potters have stopped the rot and with the sale of a few key figures, become the blueprint for clubs coming down at the end of this season.
They certainly haven’t thrived they’ve played decent football under manager Nathan Jones. With the season officially closed, the Potters finished in 16th place, with a massive 19 points separating them and Derby County, who finished sixth.
It shows how much work the club has to do to get back up, and something that has already started. Reports from English news outlet Leeds Live have revealed that Stoke City are nearing upon a deal to sign Lee Gregory from Millwall.
The 30-year-old has had a good season with the club, finishing his season with 12 goals and 7 assists. In comparison, Stoke City’s top goalscorer is Benik Afobe with 8 goals and he hasn’t scored since the first week of March.
Barring the former Arsenal and Bournemouth striker, Joe Allen and Tom Ince netted six, and one of their club record signings Sadio Berahino has just three. Their struggles have been with scoring goals and that was something that plagued the club last season as well.
Things need to change and with a move for Lee Gregory, it looks like the club is moving in the right direction. A Championship and League One striker for most of his career, the 30-year-old has consistently hit double figures over the course of his career.
Of course, his best tally came in the League One during the 2015/16 season, where he netted 23 goals and created a further 6 more. But since then, Lee Gregory has managed to score a minimum of 10 goals in the second-tier.
That kind of consistency in front of goal will only serve to help the Potters and their bid to get back into the Premier League in the near future. Add that to the fact that Gregory is out of contract in the summer and it makes the move a mouth-watering prospect.
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Conclusion
Stoke City need reinforcements next summer and it has to be the right players, i.e. players that can help them flourish right now. Someone like Lee Gregory, who has been a consistent goalscorer at a Championship level, will only help them succeed and move further into contention for a promotion playoff spot.