“Isn’t a priority” – Stoke City questioned after links emerge to Newcastle United player
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 priorities have been questioned after loan links to Newcastle United right-back Harrison Ashby emerged this week.
The Potters were recently linked with a temporary move for the 22-year-old by transfer journalist Alan Nixon, via Patreon, as Steven Schumacher makes some last-minute adjustments to his squad with a long 2024/25 season ahead.
Nixon has also claimed that fellow second-tier sides QPR and Blackburn Rovers are both interested in bringing him in, but each club would have to give Ashby and Newcastle some encouragement that he would play enough games in order to secure his signature this week.
Ashby has been with Newcastle since January 2023 after joining from boyhood club West Ham, but is yet to make a first-team appearance for Eddie Howe’s side, and spent the first-half of last season on loan at Swansea City in the Championship, where he impressed, but saw his time in South Wales cut short due to injuries.
Stoke fan pundit unsure on Ashby as deadline edges closer
While Ashby has clear talent and potential after he joined the Magpies for a fee of around £3m last year, despite only featuring sparingly for the Hammers first-team, his spell at Swansea last season was hampered by injuries, and he is still relatively untested in men’s football as it stands.
Stoke may be looking to bolster their right-back ranks this week, but FLW’s Potters fan pundit Sam Harrison believes that signing Ashby should not be a priority over other positions, and questions his injury record, yet would be pleased if he joined for the season due to his ability and the depth he would provide.
“I’d be happy with bringing in Harrison Ashby, even if it was on loan and Newcastle wanted to keep him and potentially have him for the future,” he told FLW.
“Obviously last season, the main thing with it, is that he was on loan at Swansea and played 13 games or so, but then was out with an injury.
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