Stoke City boss lauds ‘brilliant’ former Portsmouth and Rangers target after £2m summer capture

Mark Robins has lauded former Pompey target Luke Graham’s ‘brilliant’ Stoke City impact.

The highly-rated young Scottish talent was long tracked by the Blues after impressing in an excellent breakthrough campaign with Dundee.

Despite John Mousinho’s troops having a bid initially rejected in the January window, Pompey reignited their pursuit in the summer - placing a fresh £2m bid for the Dens Park academy graduate.

The Fratton Park outfit were not alone in the race, with as many as 43 clubs across the globe interested, while Graham’s preference was a move to the Championship.

Although the Blues agreed a deal with Dundee in July, the centre-back instead opted to join Stoke City after talks as the decision came down to a head-to-head between the two second-tier rivals.

The Scotland international will now don the Stoke colour against Pompey next week when Mark Robins’ side travel to Fratton Park.

Graham, though, has already made a strong impression with his new side, featuring 12 times in all competitions helping the Potters rise to ninth in the standings.

Stoke boss lauds ‘brilliant’ £2m former Pompey target

And after netting his first bet365 Stadium goal against Derby County earlier this month, Robins has been full of praise of his highly-rated multi-million pound summer capture.

Speaking to The Stoke Sentinel, the head coach said: ‘That’s the first of many for Graham.

‘I thought he was brilliant. Anything around him, anything in the air. The only thing I would say is that we can do better on the ball all the way across the back line. Bosun Lawal coming in and the times we gave the ball away in dangerous areas.

‘We were almost authors of our own downfall but we managed to win the ball back. Three points sometimes at the end of that type of performance is really pleasing.

‘We kept going [at Derby] and we managed to get a good delivery into the box and got first contact. Luke is a young player who has got loads and loads of potential.

‘To get his first goal will be brilliant for him because it gives him belief and that gives him that understanding to go and do it.

‘I thought he was on the end of everything good in terms of when the ball came in. Defensively he gets his head on things, clears that out and deals with the majority of danger whether it was on the ground or in the air. I thought he was really good.’

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Pompey’s centre-back options

After missing out on Graham, Pompey later went on to recruit 20-year-old Benjy Arthur on a season-long loan from Brentford to bolster Mousinho’s centre-back ranks.

The England youth international joins Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy and Madiodio Dia at the heart of defence after Hayden Matthews and Josh Knight departed on loan.

Shaughnessy is expected to return to the fold before Stoke’s visit next week, while Arthur is currently sidelined with a stress fracture in his back.

This has required Dia and Poole to start the previous five matches, with the duo impressing to help the Blues to three wins in that period.

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