Stoke City’s two most underwhelming signings from the last 5 years and why – Do you agree?

It’s fair to say Stoke City have made more than their fair share of disappointing signings over the past five years.

That is perhaps no surprise given the period includes the Potters’ relegation from the Premier League and their failed attempts to try to win promotion back to the top flight since.

Stoke are yet to finish in the top half since dropping down into the Championship and that is due, in part, to their poor transfer dealings.

Here, we’ve highlighted their two most underwhelming signings from the last five years and outlined why we think they earn that title – Do you agree?

Kevin Wimmer

Kevin Wimmer sits second in the list of Stoke’s most expensive arrivals – behind only Giannelli Imbula – and you’d be hard-pressed to find a single Potters fan that would argue the club got a worthwhile return on the reported £17.46 million fee.

The centre-back was brought in from Tottenham ahead of the 2017/18 campaign to help shore things up at the back but they kept a clean sheet in just one of the 19 appearances he made.

Wimmer lost his place in the side midway through the season and Stoke were eventually relegated to the Championship.

The defender never featured for the club’s senior side again and spent the majority of the next few seasons on loan elsewhere.

In July 2021, he moved to Rapid Vienna on a free transfer – meaning Stoke didn’t recoup any of the major fee spent on him four years previously.

Sam 

Stoke held promotion aspirations ahead of the current campaign and their move for Sam Surridge, which included a £2.5 million initial fee that could rise to £5.5 million with add ons, was a statement of intent in August.

Potters fans will have been hoping the 22-year-old could fire them up to the Premier League but instead