Ahead of the new Championship campaign, Stoke have had to make a call on who should be their captain for the forthcoming season.

Now, as per StokeOnTrent Live, the person leading the Potters will be Lewis Baker.

Baker joined Stoke just last season from Chelsea but went on to feature often at the bet365 Stadium. Even though he couldn't get onto the pitch perhaps as much as he wanted, he still featured in 21 league games for the side in total. That led to eight goals and two assists and if the player can stay fit and feature more going forward, he could be even better for the Potters this season.

 

 

Now, the player has been entrusted with the Stoke captaincy only a season after joining up with the club and will be looking to try and lead the side up the Championship and potentially towards the play-off places at the very least. If he can help them achieve that, then the midfielder would be a club hero.

Having also played in the top flight with Chelsea (even though he had to make do with just reserve team games for the Blues) as well as Germany and Turkey, he has plenty of knowhow and experience under his belt already. With Baker still in the peak of his career too, the player will now be aiming to imbue some of that wisdom onto his teammates as their club captain.

Speaking about the player becoming captain, boss Michael O'Neill said: "There will be a group of senior players beneath Lewis who will be consulted so it’s not all on Lewis’s shoulders. Lewis has a natural leadership quality about him, we see that on a daily basis in training.”

The Verdict

Baker has played some good football for Stoke when he has been able to get onto the field and his goal contribution tally shows that.

In fact, the midfielder had an average of 0.50 goals or assists every 90 minutes during last season. Considering where he plays, it is not a bad record for the player and he not only can lead by example with his performances but it seems as though he is a natural leader too.

Even though Baker has only been with the club for a season, Michael O'Neill and the rest of his teammates must see some talent in the player and the ability to be club captain to appoint him as it just before the new campaign. If he can lead the team up the Championship table, boss Michael O'Neill then would be delighted with that.

Ahead of the new season then, Stoke are now ready to try and pick up some points this campaign.