Stoke City completed the deadline-day loan acquisition of Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi until the end of the season, beating off stiff competition for the 23-year-old following a lengthy pursuit.

Despite having one of the second-tier’s toughest defences, the Potters haven’t scored nearly enough goals to earn a spot in the top six.

Injuries on the pitch haven’t helped their cause.

Viktor Johansson and his replacement, Gavin Bazunu, who joined on loan from Southampton in January, will be out for a few months, while right-back Junior Tchamadeu, both left-backs Eric Bocat and Aaron Cresswell, midfielder Lewis Baker, and all three strikers Divin Mubama, Robert Bozenik, and Sam Gallagher have all been or are still out with injuries.

The lack of options will undoubtedly have had an impact on their form, but manager Mark Robins has attempted to address this by entering the transfer market in January, signing striker Milan Smit and wingers Ato Ampah and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.

Rak-Sakyi spent the first part of the season on loan at top-flight Turkish club Rizespor, but has joined the Potteries till the rest of the season in a deal that the Robins will hope will help them climb the table again.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Sorba Thomas have the ability to cause chaos for Championship defenders at Stoke City.

Indeed, Stoke were far from the only team interested in Rak-Sakyi’s signing this month, with Celtic, Millwall, and French side Monaco all expressing strong interest, but the Englishman would naturally prefer Stoke-on-Trent over Monte Carlo.

Rak-Sakyi is no stranger to the Championship; he spent the 2024/25 season on loan with Sheffield United, scoring seven goals and assisting twice in 35 league games as the Blades barely missed out on promotion via the play-offs.

The Crystal Palace junior product also spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Charlton Athletic in League One, where he scored 15 goals and assisted eight others in a breakout year.

Rak-Sakyi, whose preferred position is playing off the right flank to cut in with his left foot, will now compete with Million Manhoef, Lamine Cisse, and fellow newcomer Ato Ampah for a spot on the right flank, with Sorba Thomas securing the left.

Thomas has personally contributed to 44% of Stoke’s 34 goals this season, with nine goals and six assists, making the Potters the Championship’s most one-man team this season in terms of directly contributing to goal scoring.

However, with the addition of Rak-Sakyi to play off the opposite side, Robins will be looking to alleviate some of the strain on the Welsh international, with the aim that the pair can cause havoc for full-backs across the division.

Rak-Sakyi has shown glimpses of his unquestionable skill during his time in the EFL, and he will be hoping that, alongside Thomas, he can help bring Potters fans out of their seats and hoist the club back up the table, with a play-off spot still a possibility.

Mark Robins will try to rocket Stoke City back into the top six after Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s arrival.

As previously said, Stoke have spent much of the season in and around the top six, but a decrease in form has caused the club to slip down the table in recent weeks.

The Potters had never finished in the top half of the division since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, so a top-half finish was viewed as a successful goal at the start of the season.

Now that they have demonstrated their ability to compete in and among the top six, there will be a sense of frustration that they have been unable to maintain their form during the winter period.

Robins will be eager to see important players return from injury, and with the arrivals of Smit, Ampah, and Rak-Sakyi, the former Coventry City manager will be hopeful that they have what it takes to propel them back up the league table.

Rak-Sakyi will provide some much-needed competition out wide alongside Manhoef, Cisse, and Ampah, which might bring out the best in each player, as no spot in the side is now guaranteed.

With Thomas on one wing and Rak-Sakyi on the other, the pair has the potential to be one of the most effective duos in the division on their day, and Stoke will be hoping that happens more often than not, with a top-six finish still within reach.