“A few people were questioning him” – Stoke City fan pundit offers verdict on Michael O’Neill signing

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stoke City’s signing of Lewis Baker in the January transfer window is already looking like a shrewd piece of business. 

Baker has been on the books at Chelsea prior to linking up with the Potters on a permanent basis, albeit floating around the Championship and abroad on loan.

Michael O’Neill has given the midfielder a chance on a mid-term deal, with Baker already impressing Stoke supporters with his performances in the Championship.

“A few people were questioning him at first,” FLW’s Stoke fan pundit Ben Rowley said when reviewing the transfer.

“He was at Chelsea a lot of years and never got played, he was out on loan a lot and there were questions whether or not he’d be able to find a home and prove himself regularly at a football club. He seems to be doing that.”

The 26-year-old has scored four goals and registered one assist in nine appearances, carrying the captain’s armband on occasion.

Stoke’s form has dipped recently and O’Neill’s side now look a real long-shot to come back into play-off contention after back-to-back defeats and no win in four.

“The last couple of games, we’ve not been playing well and he’s not been playing well as a consequence,” Ben conceded.

Despite that, the Stoke fans have been impressed with Baker’s impact since arriving, which Ben underlined as he predicted a permanent stint with the armband before long.

He concluded: “On the whole, he’s brought a new dynamism to our midfield, a goalscoring touch and he looks like one of the best leaders we’ve got at the club. He’s very