Stoke City have signed George Hirst on a three-year contract with a 12-month option in the club's favour. The striker arrives from Ipswich after scoring 23 goals in 102 games there, and he said he is "here to score goals".
Stoke's summer rebuild
Hirst is the sixth summer signing through the door at Stoke, which gives the move a bit more weight than a simple depth add. The club have spent the window adding bodies across the squad, and this is another sign that they are treating the rebuild as a major job rather than a couple of tidy fixes.
Jonathan Walters said Stoke identified Hirst as a target "some time ago" and described him as a player with "a proven track record of scoring goals in this division and knows what it takes to be successful". That fits the return he posted at Ipswich, where 11 of his 21 league goals came last season as they sealed automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Hirst also said: "Everyone wants to be somewhere that is going to help make them a better player and somewhere they feel they can help. I feel like this is both of those things for me." He is set for his debut at Southampton on Saturday, and Stoke will be hoping the scoring touch that took him through Ipswich travels with him.
The fee question
The fee has been kept undisclosed, although there have been reports of a £10m deal. That is the figure doing the rounds, but the confirmed detail is still the same: Stoke have taken Hirst on a three-year deal with an extra 12-month option.
What stands out most is the fit between the signing and the job description. Stoke have brought in a striker with a strong Championship record, and Hirst has already said the goals are the reason he is there.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
