5 losers of the January transfer window

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Paul Lambert the head coach / manager of Stoke City during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Huddersfield Town at Bet365 Stadium on January 20, 2018 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images) /

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STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – JANUARY 20: Paul Lambert the head coach / manager of Stoke City during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Huddersfield Town at Bet365 Stadium on January 20, 2018 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images) /

Stoke have had a busy January, but busy is not the same as good. It all started with the sacking of Mark Hughes on Jan. 6, and then continued with the ensuing appointment of Paul Lambert on Jan. 15.

The appointment of Lambert wasn’t terrible in itself, but the club certainly didn’t improve their situation when the news leaked he was their 15th managerial choice following the sacking of Hughes (who else wants to see the 14 listed before him?).

If you were forced to resort to your 15th choice on manager, it makes sense for you to suffer a similar fate on your transfers.

Next: Manchester City, Mix Diskerud and FFP loopholes

Moussa Niakite, Moritz Bauer, Kostas Stafylidis and Badou Ndiaye were all they could muster. Ndiaye could be a useful addition to a thin midfield, and the fact Stoke have kept clean sheets in Lambert’s first two matches provides some cause for cautious optimism, but this was a galling window for a club in their 10th consecutive season in the Premier League.

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