Stoke City are trying to seal a deal for Go Ahead Eagles striker Milan Smit
11:14, 23 Jan 2026Updated 11:19, 23 Jan 2026
Milan Smit joined Go Ahead Eagles in the summer of 2024.(Image: Giuseppe Velletri/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Stoke City sound increasingly confident they can get a deal over the line to sign striker Milan Smit from Go Ahead Eagles.
Smit, aged 22, has been over to England to try to finalise a move but it remains to be seen if it will be done in time, or if international clearance is granted in time, for him to be involved this weekend away at Birmingham City in the Championship.
Reports in the Netherlands suggest that the fee could be worth up to about £4.8 million but it also remains to be seen if he initially arrives on loan with an option to make the switch permanent in the summer.
It is clear that Stoke have to carefully manage their finances and purchases to stay on the right side of profit and sustainability regulations and what is permitted and when within rolling three-year cycles.
It would be a major tonic for Mark Robins, who has lost five strikers to serious injuries in the last few weeks.
The manager remained coy this morning when asked for an update on Smit but he seemed confident enough to say: “Not at the moment but you might not be too far away.”
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It was put to Robins that transfer plans must have changed during the January window after his squad was hit with a sledgehammer of injuries. Two goalkeepers, a right-back, centre-half and midfielder have also been in the treatment room.
But a forward was top of his agenda going into the New Year and that’s where it’s come back to as the Potters try to keep in the play-off pack.
Robins said: “We start off with one point and then things happen around it and then you end up right at the point you were before everything kicked off. Plans haven’t changed but sort of circumvented and came back.”
Stoke’s recruitment department has evolved over the last couple of years, now led by Ian Torrance, who joined last spring, and working closely with Robins and his coaches to make sure that everyone is on the same page, knowing who or what is feasible and planning for all eventualities.
Robins said: “Essentially I get a package of individuals or a group of players and we have to look through and come to an agreement about which one we go for. The process is good and it will still become better over time. We’ve got players in every position. We’ve got players on, I say a list but it’s more than a list. You’ve got a profile of individuals in terms of positions that we look through and choose from.
“Also, there are players on there, like everything else, yes I’d like that one but you can’t afford it so you end up moving around and then looking at other things that might be a little bit, or less of a finish to them where you’ve got to polish them and give them different attributes – but you’ve got sufficient attributes to work with and improve. Those are the things.
“It’s like a kid in a sweet shop when you want something but you can’t have it and you have to choose something else. Straightaway you start to fit those into the team, that’s how I try to build the team and see how it’s going to fit, so to move from something is difficult because you really want one and things move all the time.
“But you’ve got good attributes, good people and once you’ve got your head around what they can bring at this particular time and what they could look like in the future, then obviously you go and try to complete deals and that’s what happens. That gives you a vague understanding of what goes on.”
Robins admits it is still a thrill to get to work with a centre-forward, having had great success in the past in helping strikers fulfil their potential.
He said: “It is exciting. It’s also how they fit in, how they are received. You want to bring in people who straightaway make an impact among their peers because sometimes you’ll bring players in and all of a sudden and everything goes up. That happens. Those players are really important.”
The Sentinel suggested: “Perhaps like happened with Sorba (Thomas) in the summer?”
“Yes, that’s probably fair,” said Robins. “You see that with players when they come in and they do something that is a little bit different. (Tomas) Rigo is like that, he can do things like he did on Wednesday. He’s hopefully going to get that belief because he’s a top player in the making. I’m delighted with his contribution and certainly the goal at the end of that.
“He was much, much more confident and as he grew and after the goal it gives you that belief and confidence and adrenalin, the endorphins that are released when you score a goal or do something that is really appreciated by the supporters or his teammates. He’s definitely getting there. Things like that have a positive impact on the team.”
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