Stoke City 2026-2027 Season Preview
As Stoke City’s 2026–27 campaign gets under way, the club enters the new season with a mixture of ambition and unfinished business. Mark Robins remains in charge, and the squad has undergone another significant reshaping during the summer transfer window.
The Potters avoided relegation last season but finished well short of the play-off places. The summer recruitment programme was designed to address several areas of the squad, including the need for greater attacking threat, while the club also retained important players such as goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
The season is already under way, meaning the opening weeks have provided some early evidence of what supporters can expect. Stoke lost their first two Championship fixtures, against Swansea City and Southampton, before suffering a heavy defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers. A 1–0 home victory over Norwich City on 1 September gave the Potters their first league points of the campaign.
Stoke City 2025-2026 Season Recap
Stoke City finished the 2025–26 Championship season in 17th place with 55 points, recording 15 wins, 10 draws and 21 defeats. They scored 51 league goals and conceded 56. The final position represented another season of consolidation rather than a promotion challenge, although the team spent periods of the campaign well clear of the relegation places.
Sorba Thomas was Stoke’s leading league scorer with 10 goals, while the team’s overall attacking output remained an area that needed improvement. The Potters scored an average of just over one goal per league game, while their defensive record was considerably better than in some previous campaigns.
In the FA Cup, Stoke reached the fourth round before losing 2–1 at home to Fulham. Their League Cup campaign ended in the second round against Bradford City, who won 3–0 at the bet365 Stadium.
The season also highlighted the importance of Viktor Johansson. The Swedish goalkeeper signed a new four-year contract in May 2026 after establishing himself as one of the key players in the squad. Before suffering a shoulder injury, Johansson had made 70 consecutive league appearances and kept eight clean sheets in his first 24 league matches of the season.
Overall, 2025–26 was a season in which Stoke made progress in some areas but remained short of the consistency and attacking production required to challenge near the top of the Championship.
Who Is The Manager of Stoke City?
Mark Robins remains Stoke City’s manager. He was appointed in January 2025 after leaving Coventry City and subsequently guided Stoke through the remainder of the 2024–25 campaign before overseeing the 2025–26 season.
The club’s official directory currently lists Robins as manager, with James Rowberry and Max Porter as assistant managers and former Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross among the first-team coaching staff.
Robins has continued to work with a squad containing a mixture of established Championship players and younger prospects. His tenure has included periods of strong defensive organisation, but the challenge remains turning that structure into more consistent results and a greater attacking threat.
The early weeks of 2026–27 have already tested that balance. Stoke began the league campaign with a 2–1 home defeat against Swansea City, followed by a 3–1 loss away to Southampton and a 4–1 defeat at Wolves. The 1–0 win over Norwich City on 1 September provided an important response and moved the team onto its first points of the campaign.
Stoke City Summer Transfer Activity
Stoke were active in the summer transfer window, making a number of additions while also allowing several established players to leave.
Among the arrivals were goalkeeper Josh Griffiths, centre-back Luke Graham, midfielder Ethan Galbraith, midfielder Svante Ingelsson, midfielder Djibril Soumaré and striker Milan Smit.
George Hirst subsequently joined from Ipswich Town on a three-year contract with an additional year available to the club. Hirst arrived with significant Championship experience after helping Ipswich secure two promotions and scoring 11 league goals during the previous campaign.
Stoke also brought in Ben Johnson on loan from Ipswich, while Luca Bombino and Jack McGlynn arrived towards the end of the window. McGlynn joined from Houston Dynamo, adding another midfield option to Robins’ squad.
There were notable departures, too. Lewis Baker and Steven N’Zonzi left after their contracts ended, while Tatsuki Seko moved to Urawa Red Diamonds. Milan Smit and Nathan Lowe were sent out on loan to gain regular first-team football.
One of the biggest late changes was the departure of Sorba Thomas to Hull City. Thomas had been Stoke’s leading league scorer in 2025–26 with 10 goals, making his exit a significant change to the attacking options available to Robins.
The transfer window therefore left Stoke with a substantially refreshed squad, particularly in midfield and attack. The success of that recruitment will depend on how quickly the new players establish consistent partnerships and whether the team can replace the goals and creativity lost through departures.
Who are Stoke City’s Key Players?
Viktor Johansson remains one of Stoke’s most important players. The goalkeeper has signed a new long-term contract and, when fit, provides considerable experience and reliability behind the defence. His performances will be particularly important as Stoke look to improve on last season’s 56 goals conceded.
Ben Wilmot is another experienced member of the defensive group. The centre-back remains part of the first-team squad and started the opening Championship fixture against Swansea City alongside Bosun Lawal.
In midfield, Ethan Galbraith has quickly emerged as an important player. The summer signing scored Stoke’s goal against Norwich City on 1 September, giving the club its first league victory of the season. He also featured prominently during the opening weeks of the campaign.
George Hirst is another player likely to attract considerable attention. Stoke recruited the Scotland international to add proven Championship goals to the squad, and his previous record at Ipswich made him one of the club’s most significant attacking additions of the summer.
Million Manhoef and Róbert BoženÃk also remain important attacking options. BoženÃk scored Stoke’s goal in the 1–1 Carabao Cup draw with Hull City, while Manhoef continues to provide pace and attacking width.
The squad also contains a number of younger players who could become increasingly important as the season progresses. How effectively Robins combines those players with the more experienced members of the squad will be one of the key themes of the campaign.
What Are Stoke City’s Season Expectations?
Stoke’s primary objective is to improve significantly on last season’s 17th-place finish. The club has invested in several areas of the squad, with George Hirst providing additional Championship experience in attack and a number of younger additions offering further competition for places.
A play-off challenge would require a substantial improvement on the 55 points collected last season. Stoke’s 2025–26 record of 15 wins, 10 draws and 21 defeats demonstrates the gap between being competitive in individual matches and producing the consistency required across 46 league fixtures.
The opening weeks of 2026–27 have reinforced that point. Three defeats in the first three Championship matches left Stoke without a point before the Norwich victory, while the 4–1 defeat at Wolves exposed some of the defensive problems the club will need to address.
At the same time, the Norwich result provided evidence that the squad can respond under pressure. The emergence of players such as Galbraith, combined with the experience of Johansson, Wilmot and the club’s other established players, gives Robins several building blocks to work with.
The central question for the remainder of the season is whether Stoke can turn individual positive performances into a sustained run of results. Their recruitment suggests an intention to improve, but the league table will ultimately be determined by consistency, goals and defensive reliability.
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