Sydney Agina: Forest Green sign Stoke City right-back on loan

Forest Green Rovers have signed right-back Sydney Agina on a loan transfer from Stoke Citys under-21 side. The 18-year-old defender joins the National League club from the Premier League outfits youth ranks, with the move completed on 7 July 2026.

Agina, who holds Kenyan and English nationality, arrives at Forest Green as a specialist right-back and is listed at 1.78m tall. He is a right-footed defender and is regarded as a dedicated option on the right side of the back line rather than a utility player.

The teenager moves into senior league football from Stokes under-21 team, where he has been valued at around 200,000 as of late May 2026. That valuation underlines his status as a developing prospect emerging from Stokes academy structure.

Agina has progressed through Stoke Citys youth system over the past three years, stepping up from the academy to the under-18s in 2023 before moving into the under-21 squad ahead of the 2025-26 season. His loan to Forest Green marks his first move away from the club since joining their academy.

The deal includes an agreed return date in early January 2027, when Agina is scheduled to go back to Stokes under-21 setup at the end of his loan spell.