Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill says the club will not explore the free agent market as a way of covering for injuries within their squad.

Several senior players including Adam Davies, Ryan Shawcross, Sam Clucas and Joe Allen are all currently unavailable for the Potters due to fitness issues.

But while Stoke and other clubs are allowed to bring in free agents to help cover in those positions, it seems O'Neill believes his squad is big enough for him not to have to do that.

Responding when asked about the prospect of the Potters signing any free agents in the coming weeks, O'Neill told The Stoke Sentinel: “We’re not short on players so we won’t be looking at the squad unnecessarily, just for the sake of it. We have enough players."

Explaining the situation Stoke currently find themselves in with their squad, O'Neill added: “We’re coming from a scenario where a lot of players are out on loan. There are players who the club paid a lot of money for but ultimately they don’t want to be here and it hasn’t been a successful period for those players.

“That’s the transition period we’re in. We’re trying to get a focused squad of players, a younger squad of players and a squad that is hungry to challenge in this league. I think we have that. I still think we can improve it. But equally we won’t just add to the numbers for the sake of doing it.”

The Verdict
I do find myself agreeing with O'Neill's approach here.
While the Potters might find themselves short on players at the minute, the injuries keeping them out will not last forever, and they will be available again soon.
As a result, bringing in free agents now could leave Stoke facing the problem of an over-sizes squad when those currently injured players return to full fitness, something the club have already had an issue with recently, and that could put strain on the club financially, at a difficult time for all in that respect.