Stoke City have shown an interest in signing wide man Mickel Miller from Championship rivals Plymouth Argyle, as per a report from TEAMtalk.
The Potters have joined fellow second-tier sides Preston North End and Oxford United in showing an interest in the player who will be a free agent at the end of this month as his contract expires at Home Park. Miller has been with the south coast-based club since 2022 but struggled with injuries during his first season, making just 14 appearances as the Pilgrims went on to win the League One title gaining an incredible 101 points.
This year, the 28-year-old has had a much better campaign, turning out for Steven Schumacher and Ian Foster’s side an impressive 37 times as the club scraped Championship survival. A 1-0 win over Hull City on the final day would prove to be crucial.
Miller has scored once, assisting the same amount and has a 75% passing accuracy, but interestingly the player’s temperament could prove to be an issue as he received 12 yellow cards. He has previously enjoyed stints with Rotherham United, Northampton Town and Hamilton Academicals in Scotland.
Wayne Rooney was recently announced as the successor to Schumacher and Foster at Home Park and it is thought the former England striker has been handed a three-year contract to catapult Argyle up the Championship table, with chairman Simon Hallett willing to back his new man with a healthy budget as per BBC Sport.
Stoke are looking for reinforcements this summer as they target an improved season. They found themselves embroiled in a relegation battle during the second half of the campaign, even dropping into the bottom three in February and March. However, they finished strongly to secure a 17th-placed finish.
Writer’s View
Rooney has clearly come to Plymouth with a plan and a strategy and is hoping to elevate Argyle up the table. It would seem, however, that Miller is not in his plans.
He would be a shrewd signing for any Championship side or even an ambitious League One club and the only issue would be wages as he’s available on a free transfer. There looks to be plenty of interest in the winger and he could find himself with a pick of clubs over the course of the coming weeks and months.
