Latest news with #JonWalters
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales winger Thomas signs for Stoke
Stoke City have signed Wales international winger Sorba 26-year-old, who has 17 caps for his country, spent last season on loan at Ligue 1 side Nantes from Huddersfield Town, a deal which included an option to stay in France was marred by an instance of racist abuse on social media, after he had been replaced despite only going on as a substitute in the 80th minute of a match against RC Lens in made 25 appearances for Nantes scoring one goal, against St Etienne, as he helped Les Canaris to a 13th-place finish. He had previously spent five seasons at the John Smith's West Ham United academy product is currently with the Wales squad for their World Cup qualifying games but has agreed a three-year contract at the bet365 sporting director Jon Walters told the club website, external: "To get the deal done early in the window is a real positive. It means he's in the building, can settle quickly and will begin pre-season with us from day one."He's got a strong physical profile, works tirelessly out of possession and technically he brings real quality, especially with his delivery into the box, which is a standout part of his game."[Assistant manager] James Rowberry has worked with him closely in the Wales set-up, so we know exactly what he'll bring on and off the pitch."
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Straight From the Stands: Wanderers fans on recruitment and goalkeeper changes
Relationships are the name of the game, By Liam Hatton IT is very early days, but Steven Schumacher this week spoke positively about his dialogue so far with incoming Sporting Director Fergal Harkin. The gaffer himself knows only too well about how important it is to have a transparent and healthy relationship with those higher up on the recruitment side of things, with his time at Stoke City serving as a reminder. Nothing concrete has ever come out of his departure from The Potters and the circumstances behind it, but what we do know is that last summer Stoke saw a new head of recruitment take over. Prior to that in February 2024, Jon Walters replaced Ricky Martin as Technical Director. So, it would be fair to say that Schumacher's time there saw an influx of change, something he had not really witnessed at Plymouth Argyle. Twelve incoming signings and four loans were made in the summer window for Stoke whilst 19 players left the club, which would automatically classify as a huge upheaval in anyone's books. The year before that saw Stoke make 18 new signings. Steven Schumacher's time at Stoke City saw a lot of changes behind the scenes (Image: PA) The point here is that Schumacher knew he was walking into a tough scenario, but maybe the task was just too big judging by the chopping and changing behind the scenes. From enjoying a settled environment at Plymouth with people he was familiar with to what transpired at Stoke, he knows now how important it is to have the right people alongside him. Which brings me to the appointment - albeit not official yet - of Jimmy Dickinson from Plymouth. Dickinson worked with Schumacher in Devon as Head of Recruitment and will now join Bolton in the same capacity, working alongside Schumacher and under the remit of Harkin. Whilst Schumacher's relationship with Harkin will be key, it definitely helps the manager knowing that he has a familiar face who he has an established rapport with, which has produced a squad that has been promoted in the past. I can't sit here and tell you anything about Dickinson really, but we can just go off his signings at Plymouth, which included Bali Mumba, Morgan Whittaker and Finn Azaz. Again, Plymouth fans will probably have a different opinion and be thankful he's gone, but the step up to the Championship and Argyle being some of the lower spenders in that league probably didn't help matters. You can identify all of the players you want, but the budget also needs to be there. As for Bolton, the structure is now in place and we are relying on a mini-masterclass from Harkin, Schumacher and co. There are links to players such as Ryan Ledson, Jamie Jellis and goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe, but at the moment, these are all just rumours. The main thing to take from this news is that Schumacher has the personnel in place with his own staff, a Head of Recruitment who he has worked with before and a promising start to his relationship with Harkin. It bodes well, now we need to see if the proof is in the pudding. Teddy Sharman-Lowe is one of the keepers said to interest Bolton this summer (Image: PA) A new number one between the sticks? By Lee Sidebotham OVER the summer, I'll be discussing the strengths and weaknesses in each position within our team and how I think we could improve with the options currently at our disposal and the possibilities within the transfer market. This week I'll be giving my take on the goalkeeping position. Personally, I would have liked to see Nathan Baxter stay. In my estimation, he was one of the best shot-stoppers in the league and the perfect replacement following James Trafford's departure. I believe his injury halfway through last season was the single biggest factor in us not gaining that second automatic promotion spot. However, Luke Southwood has surprised many this season. After impressing throughout the cup competitions, he was picked over Baxter in the league in January and the fight for the number one shirt constantly went back and forth. I guess when we do sign a new keeper, the big question will be does Southwood keep his place in the starting eleven? We've all read the rumours about signing Chelsea youngster Teddy Sharman-Lowe on loan after impressing for Doncaster this season. I've seen a lot of people online say we shouldn't loan in this position, and we should get a full-time replacement on the books. But I personally don't mind this option or signing Sharman-Lowe for a year. He played every single game for a side that won League Two this season and kept thirteen clean sheets. It's hard to argue with that record and not consider taking him on. Chelsea also have another keeper available this Summer. The 22-year-old Lucas Bergstrom is a completely different type of goalie to Southwood. He is a towering 6ft 9ins shot-stopper with one cap for Finland and has experience playing in the Swedish First Division and in the Europa Conference League for the Blues. He also played for Peterborough during the 2022-23 season, who finished just behind us in the Play-Offs. If Chelsea don't keep him on this year, he could be a very good free agent to bring in. Another permanent option could be Freddie Woodman who has recently been released from Preston North End. Steven Schumacher spoke previously about how there is very little Championship or higher league level experience within our squad. Woodman certainly ticks all those boxes. Maybe I'm stretching it a bit with this option, but if the opportunity came, I think we should absolutely take him. Tottenham's Alfie Whiteman is also out of contract at the end of the season. While he's never played a game for the first team, he has been a constant backup in European matches and a handful of Premier League games. Baxter had a similar history let's not forget. Whoever we decide to bring in, it's important we can call upon them when needed. We've all seen in previous years what can happen when we don't have two solid goalkeeping options.
