Stoke City remain in the Championship for 2026/27, with Ipswich Town having gained promotion at the first time of asking to get back to the Premier League. A much-improved year has to be the aim for Stoke City this season, with Mark Robins and co. having had eight campaigns between 14th and 18th in the Championship since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018. Josh Griffiths, Svante Ingelsson, Luke Graham, Djibril Soumare, Milan Smit, and Ethan Galbraith have all joined the club, with many for significant fees. That has raised expectations, despite the dismal end to 2025/26 while Ipswich Town joined Coventry City in gaining automatic promotion. ## The forward options for Stoke City and Ipswich Town this season Stoke are not finished this summer, with more additions yet to come in the final weeks of the window. There are numerous areas they appear to be keen to address in Robins' squad. Despite the addition of Smit and the presence of Robert Bozenik and Sam Gallagher, it appears another striker is set to arrive this summer. Ipswich's promotion has seen them make the addition of Emersonn in a big-money move to bolster their attack. Daizen Maeda has also arrived from Celtic. However, Chuba Akpom, Ali Al-Hamadi, and George Hirst are all a part of Gary O'Neil's ranks and they have decisions to make on their futures, with some of them perhaps unable to make an impact in the top flight next season. ## Stoke City eye Ipswich Town striker George Hirst Hirst has been an Ipswich player for four seasons now, starting with a loan from Leicester City in League One. In a half-season loan, he scored seven goals in 23 matches to help Kieran McKenna's side to promotion. Since then, he has had two seasons in the Championship with Ipswich, sandwiching a solitary campaign in the Premier League. He notched seven goals and seven assists in 29 games during 2023/24, before five goals and two assists in 29 appearances in 2024/25. Last season was the best of Hirst's career, with the Scotland international scoring 11 and bagging four assists in 44 games. It also became the year he made his breakthrough for Scotland, scoring once in 10 games for the national team. The 27-year-old has emerged as a target for Stoke this summer, with journalist Charlie Gordon revealing the latest. Writing in The Scottish Sun, it's stated that they are making an ambitious move to sign the Ipswich centre-forward. Crucially for Stoke, it's reported that Ipswich are expected to sign another striker before the end of the window, so Ipswich bosses will not stand in his way if the right opportunity to secure regular football comes up, be that via a loan or a permanent exit. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 17th in Championship, 55 pts, 15W-10D-21L from 46 games, recent form LLLLD. Goals this season: 51 scored, 56 conceded (-5 goal difference). Title race: 40 points behind leaders Coventry. Last result: Bristol City 2-0 Stoke City (2026-05-02). Recent form (last 5): 0W-0D-5L (LLLLL, most recent first); lost the last 5. Next fixture: vs Cardiff (away, 2026-09-08).