Daniel Iversen was followed by Scott Morris, a 22-year-old who was known to departing coach Jonathan Gould, who has worked in New Zealand. Morris will get a chance to stake his claim in training at first in a department that will be in flux this year. One way or another, Stoke will have to make a decision in the summer about who will be number one next season.

Schumacher has then had a chance to put his own stamp on the squad, not necessarily in departments where business was expected. Luke Cundle, keen to play quickly and play forward, has been an immediate started in central midfield. With Lewis Baker returning from injury, Bae Junho tried out as a number 8 and Josh Laurent due back from the treatment room imminently, it will be interesting to see how it all takes shape.

Stoke had to wait until the final hour of the window to add to the forward department. The opportunity came up to sign Million Manhoef on a permanent deal – Stoke’s first permanent January signing for a fee since Jordan Thompson in 2020 – and they’ve taken it. The trailers have built a little bit of hope that he can get bums off seats and entertain as well as help with the goal riddle.

Then there’s Niall Ennis. He probably wasn’t any many lists of potential targets going into this month – and probably not on Stoke’s transfer dossier either before Schumacher arrived – but Schumacher knows what he can offer beyond a frustrating half-season at Blackburn. Even with Dwight Gayle leaving, that makes it nine players competing for three shirts up top. Hopefully one, two or three of them can seize the moment.

The squad has been bolstered, it’s four new potential starters and four potential match winners – the con is that it’s big. There will be players who do not get the game time they want and it will be take some clever management to keep everyone happy. No one can complain if the side is winning so that might be the best bet.

Can Stoke score more goals?

A poisoned chalice seems like it has been passed from new striker to new striker at Stoke City this century.

There have been 75 in total who have come and mostly gone since Peter Thorne was the last to score 20 league goals in a season back in 1999/2000. Only three clubs have gone longer than that in the top four divisions. Walsall have been waiting since 1996/97 (Kyle Lightbourne), Plymouth Argyle have been waiting since 1993/94 (Steve Castle) and Sheffield Wednesday have been waiting since 1990/91 (David Hirst), although Michael Smith got 20 in all competitions last year.

So no pressure, then, Niall Ennis as he steps forward to take a sip and try to break the curse – but perhaps it won’t just take one man to do it. The burden is there to be shared if one, two or three out of Manhoef, Andre Vidigal, Ryan Mmaee, Sead Haksabanovic, Mehdi Leris, Bae Junho, Wesley, Nathan Lowe and Tyrese Campbell can step up.

Ennis, aged 24, was used in rotation under Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle in a horses for courses attacking stable. He was the nippy one who got 12 League One goals, Ryan Hardie was the bustling one who got 13, Sam Cosgrove was the target man who got eight, Morgan Whittaker the tricky one who got nine.

The key point was that all together as a squad they got 82 in 46 matches and that saw them ram raid their way to the title and promotion. They hit the top in September and didn’t fall below second after that.

But Ennis has barely figured at Blackburn Rovers this term due mostly to a series of injuries since he moved north as a free agent last summer. The 24-year-old scored on his debut and eight of his subsequent 12 appearances have come from the bench, most recently in a 2-2 New Year’s Day draw with Rotherham.

He is only a few months into a four-year contract yet perhaps it’s no surprise that he fancies taking up the opportunity to be reunited with Schumacher at Stoke, who have been creating more chances without being able to put them away.

Schumacher hasn’t been short of numbers – he’s lined up with different front threes in the last two matches – but he has also has talked about wanting to add different attributes. Ennis is direct and pacy, willing to make runs behind a back line and using his backside to help turn defenders.

It will be interesting to see how and if it all comes together but you could hear the frustration in the head coach’s post-match interview at Sunderland last week. He knows Stoke won’t get very far very fast if they don’t start scoring more than the 28 they have managed in their opening 29 games this campaign.

“To have 37 shots, I think, in the last two games and they are not shots from 35 yards, they’re big opportunities, big chances, and to not work the keeper as often as we have is just not good enough,” Schumacher said at the Stadium of Light. “You’re not going to win games at this level if you’re careless like that because the opposition think they’ve got away with one and they can go up the other end and punish you.”

Let’s see what the next 17 games brings as Stoke already start considering and planning their moves in the next transfer window.

Who will miss out in the 25-man squad?

You can only have 25 players aged over 21 on the list submitted to the EFL and Stoke are maxed out even after Gayle’s goodbye. A couple will be stuck in the stands.

GOALKEEPERS: Daniel Iversen, Jack Bonham, Blondy Nna Noukeu, Frank Fielding, Scott Morris

DEFENDERS: Lynden Gooch, Ki-Jana Hoever, Luke McNally, Michael Rose, Enda Stevens, Ben Wilmot, Liam McCarron, Ciaran Clark