Stoke City have signed striker Milan Smit as they try to stay in the Championship play-off mix.
Smit, aged 22, has been over to England to try to finalise a move from Go Ahead Eagles and was in the stands at Birmingham yesterday as Stoke dug deep to secure a 1-1 draw, meaning they stay just two points outside the top six with 17 matches left to play. It is a timely boost for Mark Robins, who has lost five strikers, plus other key players, to serious injuries in the last few weeks.
He joins on loan until the end of the season, with a conditional obligation to buy in the summer. Reports in the Netherlands have suggested that the fee could be about £4.8 million. It has been a complex deal to put together as Stoke manage their finances to stay on the right side of profit and sustainability regulations and what is permitted and when within rolling three-year cycles.
The 6ft 4in forward joined Go Ahead from Cambuur in the summer of 2024 and he helped win the Dutch FA Cup, the KNVB Cup, for the first time in the club’s history last spring. He scored in a penalty shoot-out as they beat Bruno Martins Indi’s AZ Alkmaar in the final.
He has nine goals so far this season and has starred in a couple of scalps in the Europa League in the last couple of months, beating Aston Villa and Panathinaikos.
Stoke sporting director Jon Walters said: “We were tracking Milan’s progress going into the summer, and with his continued form in the Dutch Eredivisie and the Europa League, the interest in him has always remained.
“Knowing the challenges of the January transfer market, we didn’t initially feel it would be realistic to recruit him. Ian Torrance and his recruitment team always have an awareness of the market across all positions and thankfully, down to a lot of hard work, we were able to act to add to the squad in a difficult situation.
“We are absolutely delighted to get the deal done and to welcome Milan to Stoke City. He is a player that we feel suits the group and will be a fantastic fit for the changing room.”
Smit will wear the number 49 shirt at Stoke and has promised hard work as well as trying to score the goals to hopefully fire a promotion charge.
He said: “I have always dreamed of playing in England for a big club like Stoke City. I am 22 and today that dream has come true.
“The team’s style of play fits me and the club share my ambition to one day play in the Premier League, so it’s going to be really good for me.
“I’m a finisher, so my aim is to score goals and, when we have the ball, work hard; when we don’t have the ball, work hard. That’s the way I will play.”
