Stoke City manager Mark Robins has revealed he is delighted to have Sorba Thomas amongst his ranks after unsuccessfully trying to land the player in January.
The 26-year-old joined the Potters last month from Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee, although the sum has been described as ‘significant’. Having initially signed for the Terriers in 2021 from Blackburn Rovers, the winger spent last season on loan with French top flight outfit Nantes following his parent club’s relegation to League One.
It is believed that Stoke – then under the stewardship of Steven Schumacher – were keen to bring the Welsh international to the bet365 Stadium last summer, but ultimately lost out. Robins then tried again during the winter transfer window, although Nantes refused to cut short his temporary deal.
Robins Thrilled To Start Working With Thomas
With pre-season well underway, Robins revealed his delight to finally land one of the club’s long term targets. Thomas didn’t feature in the behind-closed-doors friendly against Shrewsbury Town earlier this week, but has been training with his new teammates.
Stoke will now embark on a pre-season training camp in Andalucia, with the former Coventry City boss admitting he is excited to see what Thomas can bring to the team. Speaking to the media, he said:
“We tried to get him (Thomas) in January and it was difficult – or actually impossible. That would have been good because we would have been able to bed him in.
“He’s got quite a bit of experience now and he’s a full international with Wales who is really well regarded by them. He’s also highly regarded by Huddersfield Town, and for one reason or another they’ve tried to keep hold of him and loan him out. He went to Blackburn a few years ago and when Neil Warnock went into Huddersfield he mentioned he’d rather have had Sorba in that period.
“He’s somebody who wants to work really hard for the team and he’s got really good quality as well.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do and how well he can do in a Stoke City shirt. There are some really good attributes there and your building blocks are starting to look a little bit better.”
Writer’s View
Thomas arrives at Stoke with plenty of Championship experience under his belt and will be an excellent addition to the squad. The Potters got this transfer sealed early in the window, showing they were keen to land their primary targets in good time to start pre-season. The winger is now entering the peak years of his career and should thrive under the stewardship of Robins. He could be the spark needed to reignite the Staffordshire-based side, who have underperformed year on year since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018.
