Pulis Needs a Porter

Stoke City have today been linked with Oldham Athletic striker Chris Porter. Potters boss Tony Pulis has made no secret of his desire to bolster Stoke's floundering front line, and is desperate to revive the clubs play-off hopes. Stoke need for firepower was highlighted to the world on Monday evening during their 1-0 home defeat to struggling Barnsley. Prior to this game Barnsley possessed both the worst defence in the division and the worst away record, but still Stoke could not score and showed no cutting edge in the final third.

The Stoke boss has been seen at Boundary Park this season and it is believed that he has been tracking the form of striker Porter. It is the loan move of Leon Clarke to Oldham from Sheffield Wednesday today that has intensified these rumours, and it is strongly thought that Pulis has struck an agreement to take Porter on loan for the remainder of the season with a view to a permanent move, thought to be worth around £600,000.

Chris Porter, 23, would certainly fit the profile of a Tony Pulis striker, as he stands at over 6" and is a powerful centre forward. Porter started his career at Bury where he bagged 20 goals in 54 starts. This caught the eye of The Latics and in June 1995 paid a tribunal fee of £150,000 for his services. His first season at Oldham was hampered by injury but he still managed 10 goals in 36 appearances. This season though has seen him flourish and he is currently the number two goal scorer in League One with 19 goals in 29 league games.

It is the form of Porter this season that has caught the eye of many clubs in the Championship and indeed Premiership but it appears that it may be Tony Pulis and Stoke City that will be acquiring his services. If this transfer does indeed go through then it would be a huge boost to Pulis and Stoke, who will be hoping to see their play-off bid get back on track as the season reaches it's climax.