Lewis Baker at Stoke City: How’s it gone so far? What issues does he face? What’s next?

Lewis Baker finally left Chelsea on a permanent basis last month and has been able to hit the ground running in quite romantic fashion at Stoke City.

The 26-year-old had been out on loan from the Blues eight times and only managed one senior substitute appearance in the first half of the campaign.

The Potters have endured a difficult last few months with an injury crisis contributing to them falling away from the promotion picture, but Baker could be just the signing to re-ignite their push.

Baker scored on his home debut for Stoke in a thrilling 3-2 defeat to league leaders Fulham, his long range strike nestling in the bottom corner would have been a very emotional moment after his struggles in recent years.

Here, we run the rule over the 26-year-old in our latest hat-trick piece.

How’s it gone so far?

So far, so good.

Baker certainly looks to have gained Michael O’Neill’s trust and while Romaine Sawyers is out of the team due to injury, the former England U21 international appears to be the most natural like for like replacement.

The 26-year-old has featured in every second tier match he has been eligible for, starting the last three after making his debut from the bench in a win at Hull City.

He has been deployed in a variety of midfield roles and is clearly growing into O’Neill’s system.

Baker completed 94% of his passes in the Potters’ last league outing, a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield Town.

Baker signed a two and half year deal at the bet365 Stadium and if his start is anything to go by, he is set for a very exciting spell getting stuck into some regular senior football at the same destination.

What issues does he face?

There is a lot of pressure and expectation at Stoke for O’Neill and the players to deliver promotion