£3m Wolves deal was exactly what Stoke City needed amid uncertainty
Stoke City have not had many reliable defenders over the years since their relegation from the Premier League, particularly ones that have come up with big moments at both ends of the pitch in their time at the club, but Danny Batth became exactly that after his move from Wolves in January 2019.
The abject failure that was Stoke’s 2018 summer transfer window will be remembered for years to come, but after struggling on their return to the Championship under Gary Rowett, the club continued to invest in January to try and solve their problems with Nathan Jones in charge.
Batth was one of those winter signings, and while most from that season failed, like Sam Vokes, Benik Afobe and Tom Ince, he was able to improve the Potters’ backline and went on to become a key player for the club while they battled relegation and then looked to break into the top-half over the next few seasons.
Stoke did not need anyone flashy at that point in time, and the Dudley-born centre-back was the ideal player for the Potters as they aimed to avoid a shock drop into League One. He is still a solid Championship player to this day, at 34-years-old, and it was a mistake for the club to let him go as soon as they did.
