Tag Archives: Stoke City

Stoke City’s Lack Of Identity Needs To Be Changed This Summer

SamCox May 26, 2017

After a turbulent campaign for the Potters, Stoke City have a big summer ahead of them if they are to get back-on-track with their potential.

Stoke City are a team lacking identity and Mark Hughes’ sweeping changes have begun to be reversed, the team are eking into the bottom half of the table for the first time in several seasons and the fan base is split in a way similar to the turmoil at Arsenal.

Hughes was met with scepticism by many upon his appointment after the mess he oversaw at Queen’s Park Rangers. Those who felt Tony Pulis was a club icon deserving of a longer tenure questioned the arrival of the former Manchester United striker, while others were appreciative of a club stuck in the mid-table mud pushing for greater things stylistically.

The Potters discarded players synonymous with the Pulis era in favour of glitzier names. Eventually they were the proud owners of multiple Champions League winners, while retaining the hardened core of the squad lead by Ryan Shawcross, Jon Walters and Glenn Whelan. While Whelan particularly needed replacing, the Potters were a team who could fight you in the car park and dazzle with charm in the form of Xherdan Shaqiri, Marko Arnatuovic, Bojan and others.

This came to a head during the first part of the 2015/16 campaign. Operating with a false nine – yes, that’s Stoke City with a false nine – the team was one of the best to watch around Europe. Bojan dropped into pockets of space, goals were easy to come by and the diagonal left footed pings from Shaqiri to Arnautovic were edging towards trademark status. Briefly, in fact, a European finish looked within range as Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Manchester United all vastly underachieved.

The January window saw the arrival of Giannelli Imbula for a club record transfer fee. Imbula was started 14 matches in the second half of the campaign and injected something new to the Potters’ midfield. A player once sought after by some European giants was doing it in the chilly early spring months at a windy Britannia.

The summer, however, saw another few months of bizarre transfer activity and the signing of Joe Allen. Allen and Imbula were unlikely to be able to function in a team with Bojan, Shaqiri and Arnatuovic. A problem was rife immediately and Imbula was the first to suffer. The Frenchman has started just nine Premier League games this season and is on course to leave the club, with a move to Roma being touted. He has played seven Premier League minutes since 2016.

A 4-3-3 may have worked had a defensive midfielder been signed to allow Allen and Imbula to play in box-to-box roles behind the magic triumvirate. The arrival of Wilfried Bony – and latterly Saido Berhaino – further muddied the waters and led to the departure of Bojan.

All of this was after the club’s style had regressed towards the making-do days of Pulis. Imbula was clearly deemed surplus despite seldom being given opportunity and a midfield of Allen, Geoff Cameron and Whelan became common. Imbula even vanished from the matchday squad after a while as his fate became clear. The club went from king killers of giants to a team incapable of upsetting the odds in 2016/17; winning when they should and losing when they should.

Imbula’s impending departure is a sign of a club accepting mediocrity at this juncture. The ambition and flair of Hughes’ appointment and 18 months ago are no longer felt amongst the fans or the club. The divide over the manager’s future is a debate for another time – as is their transfer shortcomings – but the Potters must be wary of their current status. This – unlike last season – has been a campaign of slumps outlasting hot streaks, which is a trend that will only edge towards unpleasantly warm waters.

‘The Team Evolves Around Him’ Arsenal Midfielder Praised On Twitter After Stoke Performance

Oli Price-Bates December 11, 2016

Arsenal moved to the top of the league on Saturday night after beating Stoke, and there was one player that the fans were talking about a lot after the game…

Arsenal’s £30million summer signing Granit Xhaka was selected alongside Francis Coquelin in the heart of the Gunners midfield as they looked to combat the physical threat offered by Stoke City. The defensive base

Although Xhaka gave away a controversial penalty, the Swiss international put in a brilliant all-round performance to help Arsenal to what was in the end, a comfortable 3-1 home win against an on form Stoke City side.

Xhaka’s statistics on the day were incredibly impressive. He completed 100% of his take ons and highlighted his ability to dictate the game from deep, completing 77 passes with an 88% accuracy rate. He also showed his physical and defensive ability, winning 4 aerial duels, 3 tackles and making 2 clearances.

What was impressive about Xhaka’s performance on the day was that he did not only make short passes to keep things ticking along, but he also showed good ability to create chances from deep, switching up his passing play with longer passes that created 2 clear chances. He attempted a huge 10 long balls with 6 of them being accurate.

The ability to be such an all-round midfielder has made Xhaka the hub of the Arsenal team. He seems to be the man to dictate possession and lead by example. With Santi Cazorla out injured for a few months, it was extremely important for Arsenal to find someone that was capable of this - Xhaka being able to do so will ensure that the Spaniard is not missed as much as many may have thought originally.

Here’s some reaction on Twitter to the Swiss international’s performance.

… and some reaction from Xhaka himself…

Personally, I am over the moon with the signing of Xhaka. He has settled very quickly and looks better with every game. I think he has curbed his aggression somewhat and filtered it into the right kind of aggression that’s needed on the pitch. Arsenal needed a midfielder that could both dictate the game through good on the ball ability and also physically dominate. In Coquelin Arsenal have a physical but not technical midfielder and Cazorla is technical not physical, but Xhaka beautifully combines both. He’s a man with a tonne of experience already, but it is easy to forget that he is only 24 and his leadership skills and overall ability will continue to grow in the next 5 years. Arsenal have made a top class signing.

3 Must Haves In Your Fantasy Football Teams This Week: Ft. Arsenal, Man Utd & Stoke Players

Patrick Ribeiro October 28, 2016

There’s sure to be a handful of frights, thrills and horror spills to go with a Halloween weekend of football and, as always, Fresh Football will strive to be ahead of the curve in advising you on your Fantasy Football choices ahead of Gameweek 10 in the Premier League. Here’s who to keep tabs on:

1 - Chris Smalling

Club: Manchester United
Position: Defender
Price: £5.9m

Halloween came early for José Mourinho and his Manchester United side last weekend when succumbing to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Chris Smalling played a notable role in the Red Devils’ demise, yet the Englishman remains central to plans of a potential full-blown response from Man United at Old Trafford, welcoming Burnley on Saturday.

The Clarets have scored just once in three Premier League fixtures away from home, and even without Eric Bailly next to him, we think Smalling and co. should have enough about them to thwart Sean Dyche’s team at home, or score a goal himself in what *should* be a standard United win.

The hosts will have to be wary, however, with key man Andre Gray returning from a four-game-ban to hand out some retribution of his own to his teammates and fans.

3 Must Have Players in Fantasy Football Premier League This Week

Patrick Ribeiro September 9, 2016

The wait was excruciating, so soon after welcoming the Premier League back, but alas the international break is over to give us a handful of weeks to focus solely on club football again. And what a way to return, as the Premier League gifts us a Manchester derby, Liverpool’s home clash versus champions Leicester City, among other potentially tight match-ups to sink our teeth into.

Such is the equilibrium in some of the games to take place in Gameweek Three that it’s fairly difficult to predict who’ll be your Fantasy Premier League kingpin this weekend, but Fresh Football might be able to push you in the right direction with these three:

1 - Ryan Shawcross
Club: Stoke City
Position: Defender
Value: £5m

A trip to the Bet365 Stadium sees Tottenham Hotspur return to the place they last looked like a fully-functioning side, as they walked over Stoke City with a 4-0 victory. Since then, the Premier League title hopefuls slumped to a third placed finish behind rivals Arsenal, whereas they’ve tasted victory just once in the new season.

Admittedly, the likes of Everton and Liverpool are never the easiest of teams to face, but Spurs’ attack has looked worryingly laboured in each of their three league games. New boy Vincent Janssen appears to be going through the motions of settling in, whereas Christian Eriksen’s form, alongside that of Dele Alli’s, seems to have deserted him.

Under more concerning circumstances, the statistic haunting Spurs in relation to Mousa Dembélé’s absence, in particular the one that sees chief goal scorer Harry Kane find the back of the net just once without the Belgian midfielder in the starting XI, could again extend itself with a traditionally tricky away fixture for most.

In the receiving end of Tottenham’s attacking woes are Stoke, themselves needing a result to kick-start their season after just a point gained from a possible nine so far this season. The Potters will look to skipper Ryan Shawcross to lead the collective in thwarting a thus far toothless Spurs attack, meanwhile potentially causing an upset at the other end via his threat from set-pieces.

Transfer Window Rankings (16th-13th): Sunderland, Stoke, Everton & Crystal Palace Feature

Patrick Ribeiro September 6, 2016

As two of the most free-spending managers in football history, José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, paved way for the arrival of more high-profile managerial switch-a-rounds, it’s perhaps no surprise to see Premier League clubs shatter the records of expenditure once more with a £1.165 billion bill, surpassing the £870 million mark set just last season.

In its trail, the relentless cash burning has left a bunch of euphoric agents, players and, for the most part, many satisfied fans with the acquisitions made by their favourite clubs. Some teams went about their business better than others, however.

Yesterday, we brought to you those ranked by Fresh Football as 20th-17th, so here’s the next four teams in our power rankings:

16th – Sunderland

Key Incomings: Papy Djilobodji (£8m), Didier Ndong (£13.4m), Adnan Januzaj (Loan), Paddy McNair (£4.4m), Donald Love (£975,000), Jason Denayer (Loan), Javier Manquillo (Loan), Steven Pienaar (Free), Victor Anichebe (Free).
Key Outgoings: Jeremain Lens (Loan), Younes Kaboul (£3.4m), Emmanuel Giaccherini (£1.3m), Steven Fletcher (Free), Wes Brown (Free).

Sunderland managed to land a loan move for the talented, yet uninspired Adnan Januzaj, but a move to the Stadium of Light does offer the Manchester United man some much-needed TLC, as he links up with David Moyes once more.

The likes of Jason Denayer and Papy Djilobodji will all have a point to prove after being streamlined straight down from traditionally top six clubs in Manchester City and Chelsea, whereas there’s also sense of intrigue surrounding the Black Cats’ latest signing from Lorient, Didier Ndong.

Keeping Lamine Koné rooted to the club for the foreseeable future will also be a huge plus for Sunderland, too, but Moyes’ admission that the club would most probably be involved in yet another dog fight to remain in the Premier League, even with Januzaj, Djilobodji and, evidently, Koné already at the club, doesn’t offer much confidence with regards to the squad’s preparation for the season ahead.

15th – Stoke City

Key Incomings: Joe Allen (£13m), Wilfried Bony (Loan), Bruno Martins Indi (Loan), Ramadan Sobhi (£4.25m), Lee Grant (Loan).
Key Outgoings: Philipp Wollscheid (Loan), Joselu (Loan), Marc Wilson (£2m).

It’s difficult to look beyond Joe Allen as the key attraction to this Stoke City side this summer. After an impressive Euro 2016 campaign, it’s perhaps surprising to see the Welshman relinquished by Liverpool, but his arrival adds to an ever-luxurious looking Mark Hughes side.

With Joselu out the door, Manchester City’s Wilfried Bony provides the Potters with a heavyweight replacement on a temporary basis, which, if he can produce anything like his Swansea City numbers, will see the striker become an instant fan favourite at the Bet365 Stadium.

Ramadan Sobhi’s first venture into European football could also prove to make for interesting viewing, but the deadline day acquisition of Bruno Martins Indi does bring a negative twang to Stoke’s dealings. Much like the Potters’ record signing, Gianelli Imbula, the Dutchman failed to impress in a considerably weaker league for FC Porto in the past two seasons.

With Philipp Wollscheid joining Bundesliga side Wolfsburg on loan, there’s a good chance Martins Indi will be fast-tracked to the first-team alongside Ryan Shawcross, which, as far as his recent history is concerned, may be a real worry.

14th – Everton

Key Incomings: Yannick Bolasie (£25m), Ashley Williams (£12m), Maarten Stekelenburg (£850,000), Idrissa Gana Gueye (£7.25m), Enner Valencia (Loan).
Key Outgoings: John Stones (£47.25m), Tim Howard (Free), Brendan Galloway (Loan), Steven Pienaar (Released), Leon Osman (Free), Aiden McGeady (Loan), Ryan Ledson (Undisclosed), Tony Hibbert (Released).

Everton moved quickly to reinvest their £47.25 million windfall from John Stones by landing Swansea City captain Ashley Williams, which should cover them defensively for at least a couple of seasons. Yannick Bolasie’s price-tag is evidently eye-popping, however, and despite his talent, it’s difficult to see such necessity with the likes of Kevin Mirallas and Gerard Deulofeu already at the club.

Within new surroundings, Idrissa Gana Gueye could prove to be a shrewd piece of business after a turbulent season with Aston Villa, but the arrival of Maarten Stekelenburg might not offer great assurances between the sticks after mixed experiences in the Premier League with Fulham and Southampton.

Then there’s the low-risk loan signing of West Ham United’s Enner Valencia, who should be useful in backing up Romelu Lukaku, but initially represents the Toffees’ failure to land the likes of Lucas Pérez last month. A real mixed bag of a window in the blue half of Merseyside.

13th – Crystal Palace

Key Incomings: Christian Benteke (£26.5m), Andros Townsend (£13.25m), James Tomkins (£10m), Steve Mandanda (Free), Loïc Rémy (Loan).
Key Outgoings: Yannick Bolasie (£25m), Dwight Gayle (£10m), Miles Jedinak (£4m), Emmanuel Adebayor (Released).

If you have your centre back, Scott Dann, leading the way for goals scored, you might want to seriously consider overhauling your frontline of attack. Thanks to the big sale of Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace have managed to do just that by shelling out on Liverpool misfit Christian Benteke.

Despite a heavy price tag, Benteke’s time with Aston Villa before Liverpool recklessly swooped in for him last summer speaks for itself. Alan Pardew has also had an interesting relationship with strikers in the past, with the likes of Demba Ba, Papiss Cissé and Glen Murray all scoring on a consistent basis under his command, so there’s hope the Palace boss can get the best out of Benteke.

If that fails, the Eagles have Loïc Rémy to back them up in attack, whereas Andros Townsend, as proved towards the end of last season for Newcastle United, can also contribute with a goal or two. Much like the Benteke deal, the signing of Tomkins looks a little too costly, whereas the failure to add creativity, or someone to relieve Yohan Cabaye of some of his defensive duties, stand as the only clear blemishes to Palace’s window.

Player Ratings: Stoke City 1-4 Manchester City

Patrick Ribeiro August 20, 2016

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Stoke City’s home game versus Manchester City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Stoke City

Shay Given - 5

There wasn’t a great deal the veteran goalkeeper could do to deny Sérgio Agüero and Nolito a brace each.

Phil Bardsley - 6.5

The ex-Manchester United man was lively throughout the encounter, on top of sussing Raheem Sterling’s routines.

Ryan Shawcross - 6

Shawcross managed to silence Agüero for large periods of the game, but his performance was, ultimately, blemished by the penalty committed on Nicolás Otamendi in the first half.

Philipp Wollscheid - 5

The German defender looked fairly unaware at times at the back, whereas his passing was also disappointing.

Erik Pieters - 5.5

His influence grew slightly as the game went on, but the left back looked visibly rusty. Did all he had to do, mind, in impeding Navas’ crosses.

Glen Whelan - 5

A quiet performance from Stoke’s anchorman.

Gianelli Imbula - 3.5

Stoke’s record signing tried to make things happen every time he got hold of the ball, but the trickiest part of all was keeping it. The story of his game.

Joe Allen - 6

The ex-Liverpool player never gave in to the score line. Noteworthy work ethic, as always.

Bojan Krkić - 5.5

Bojan’s input was stifled out wide, but the Spaniard started to come into the game as he roamed centrally in the second half, in particular following Imbula’s exit.

Marko Arnautović - 5

There was nothing but tantrums in the first half, but the Austrian managed to channel much of that anger into his will to turn the game around, which, unfortunately for him, proved to be fruitless.

Mame Biram Diouf - 5

Diouf caused John Stones a spot of bother with his runs and physicality, but couldn’t cope with Otamendi’s added presence.

Subs:

Jonathan Walters - N/A

Manchester City

Willy Caballero - 5.5

Bar a forgetful spell of 15 minutes in the second half, Caballero remained fairly composed throughout.

Pablo Zabaleta - 5.5

Zabaleta will have played better games, but he certainly could have done a lot worse.

John Stones - 5

The £47 million-pound man struggled with Diouf’s physicality, whereas his passing needed a bit of tuning too.

Nicolás Otamendi - 7

One of Otamendi’s best displays in a City shirt from a defensive perspective, covering for Stones’ shortcomings and anticipating much of the danger throughout the entirety of the game.

Aleksandar Kolarov - 5.5

A surprisingly timid performance from Kolarov going forward, but there can be little complaints about his defensive duties.

Fernandinho - 7

Pulling the strings from deep, the Brazilian was particularly impressive with his passes between the lines to bypass Stoke’s midfield.

Jesus Navas - 4

A dismal afternoon for Jesus Navas, making all the right runs on his flank, but lacking accuracy with his passes at almost every noteworthy opportunity he had.

Kevin De Bruyne - 5

The Belgian hasn’t quite got into the new routines of a Guardiola side, whereas his final ball in transition was surprisingly disappointing, too.

David Silva - 6.5

Not the mercurial performance we’d often associate with David Silva, but the Spaniard led City’s pressing well in an attempt to regain possession as soon as possible.

Raheem Sterling - 5.5

Nothing quite came off for Sterling today, who was also pretty unfortunate to give away a penalty in the second half, but the ex-Liverpool winger did at least gift Nolito a goal as the game came to a close.

Sérgio Agüero - 6.5

Often starved of service in the second half, Agüero had already done his job in the first period with a brace.

Subs:

Nolito - 6.5

Goals win games, and that’s what Nolito was able to do when replacing Navas with his two goals, albeit from very close range and with the keeper Shay Given, out of position.

Kelechi Iheanacho - N/A

It’s difficult to rate Kelechi’s performance based on ten minutes or so of football, but the young striker stayed true to his tradition of making an impact with little time left, assisting one and, soon after, dummying a pass to Sterling expertly that led to City’s fourth goal.

Stoke City vs. Manchester City: 3 Key Battles That Will Decide Who Wins

Patrick Ribeiro August 19, 2016

Pep Guardiola wasted no time in acknowledging just how tough the Premier League is after Manchester City’s late 2-1 win versus Sunderland at the Etihad last Saturday. He wasn’t wrong, and as some will have you believe, the Catalan can forget all about his past domestic and continental success because he’s about to take the truest of litmus tests - A cold Tuesday night away to Stoke.

Okay, the fixture machine has been kind enough to hand Man City a fixture at least 20 degrees warmer than usual, whereas it’s also not the sacred day for football in Stoke’s neck of the woods, so Guardiola can rest a little easier.

Or, perhaps not. In what’s usually been a more successful fixture for Man City in comparison to their rivals, Stoke have managed to take two victories in the last four meetings between the two clubs, most recently in last season’s clash at the formerly-named Britannia Stadium.

The Citizens have won once away to Stoke, so there’s certainly a degree of caution to be had over this match-up. Here are three key battles that could sway game’s result.

1 - Marko Arnautović vs. Bacary Sagna

Marko Arnautović got into the habit of scoring in the big games last season, seeing him score against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton.

Man City were no exception to the rule for the Austrian, as he bagged the brace that gave Stoke their last victory against the side then managed by Manuel Pellegrini, winning 2-0.

Bacary Sagna is usually one of the most reliable right backs about, but as we saw against Sunderland on the opening day of the season, he, alongside Gaël Clichy on the opposite flank, occupies a new role in Guardiola’s system.

With the ex-Barcelona boss opting for an attacking selection of players, including David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Nolito, Guardiola has compensated for their defensive shortcomings in the middle of the park by instructing the full backs to tuck in close to Fernandinho.

Meanwhile Man City are still getting accustomed to their new system, one must wonder how much space will be afforded to Arnautović in wide positions, especially on the counter attack.

How Stoke City Are Likely To Line-Up This Season

Patrick Ribeiro August 11, 2016

They don’t make them as consistent as Stoke City in the Premier League – their past three league finishes have seen the Potters finish ninth, ninth and, you guessed it, ninth. Although fans of the club would like to think otherwise, bettering Stoke’s recent standings, for all the interesting signings made, will be a tall order.

The traditional top four morphed into a highly-competitive top eight last season, which is sure to increase if Chelsea and Everton are to up their game. Stoke have their work cut out for sure, but the potential to makes waves under Mark Hughes is still there. Here’s how they could shape up in the coming season: Formation: 4-3-3.


Back Five: Jack Butland; Glen Johnson, Ryan Shawcross, Philipp Wollscheid, Erik Pieters

Jack Butland will be hurting, quite literally, after missing out on Euro 2016 action due to an ankle injury sustained in March. New eyes now take up the position of power at international level in the form of Sam Allardyce’s managerial appointment, with Butland ready to once again gear up for the fight to become the Three Lions’ number one. Last season saw the goalkeeper stop more shots from inside the box than any other in the league, so he’s on the right path.

In front of the 23-yer-old stands Ryan Shawcross, entrusted by Hughes to captain Stoke and defend the club’s core values on the pitch, as well as impede the opposition from peppering Butland’s goal, as I’m sure he’d appreciate it. Erik Pieters gives Hughes an easy decision at left back. The ex-PSV Eindhoven won more tackles (91) than any other defender last season, who’s also ranked fourth in duels won with a total of 194.

Report: Stoke City Make £16million Bid & Player Will Push To Complete Switch

Chris Baker July 2, 2016

According to the Daily Mirror, Stoke City have submitted a £16 million bid for West Brom striker Saido Berahino as they look set to bolster their attacking options.

The Baggies are mulling over a potential deal for their striker, but Berahino, who tried to force a move to Tottenham Hotspur last summer, is desperate to leave the club this time around and will seek talks with the club next week.

Berahino was born in Bujumbura, Burundi but moved to England aged 10 and has gone on to represent England u21’s scoring 10 goals in 11 caps but is yet to make one appearance for the senior squad.

Berahino came through the West Brom youth system and signed his first professional contract with the club in 2011, he has since gone on to play 100 games for the club scoring 23 times.

Berahino is eager for the club to accept Stoke’s offer as he looks to push through the deal as soon as possible.

The Potters made an offer around ten days ago in bid to sign the West Brom hitman, but, the club are yet to respond to the offer and the 22-year-old is set to hold talks with the Baggies over his future, with the player wanting his future sorted as soon as possible, in time for pre-season as he doesn’t want to have a similar dilemma to last summer.

Berahino was very angry with the West Brom chairman last summer due to him blocking his move to Spurs and even went to the extent of saying “I will never play for Jeremy Peace” again.

Following on from last summer’s shenanigans it really had an effect on the player as Berahino, who has just come off the back of a disappointing season managed to score just 0.20 goals per 90 minutes last season which is not too appealing to the eye. He does score a higher score with chances created though managing 0.92 which shows he is also a team player, although he created the chances, none were converted as he managed zero assists. In total, Berahino managed a score of 11.64 in total attack score but will have to look for a move away to fulfil his potential and revive his premature career.

Stoke City are prepared to offer Berahino a deal worth around £70,00-a-week offering him a five-year contract, the player himself is happy with the proposal and is keen to join the Potters this summer.

Mark Hughes has identified Berahino as the perfect striker to take Stoke forward as the England Under-21 star looks set to join the club this summer.

Berahino and West Brom will have talks over the strikers future in the coming weeks with the player set to clarify he wants to leave the club this summer.

West Brom offered Berahino a new contract worth £50,000 per week earlier this season which the player rejected, he now has only one year left on his contract and is destined to force a move this summer, with West Brom in a position where they may have to give in to his demands instead of losing him for free next summer.

Berahino was determined to move to Spurs last summer but a deal fall through, due to West Brom refusing to deal business with the club, Spurs were tipped to land Berahino this summer but they have not returned to pursue their interest and have instead switched targets as they look set to land Vincent Janssen, whilst they are also interested in Mauro Icardi.

Crystal Palace were said to be interested in Berahino this summer but have switched their attentions to Christian Benteke and have tabled a £25 million bid for the Belgium star.

West Brom would like more than £20m for the striker, because of the new inflated Premier League TV deal which has seen clubs bag a lot of money for potential transfers.

Stoke are leading the chase for Berahino this summer despite interest from Southampton and Watford, but are refusing to budge on their £16million estimate of Berahino’s worth.

Reports: Three Players Stoke City Are ‘In Talks’ To Sign This Summer

Chris Baker May 29, 2016

Another season in the Premier League for Stoke City comes to an end. They have been quite settled since their promotion in 2008 but European football will surely be the next target in the coming seasons. After finishing 9th, Mark Hughes will certainly look to add some quality players into his squad to fuel their push into the top six. We take a look at three players Stoke could sign to help make the dream come true.

1 - Axel Witsel

According to reports Stoke City have launched a fresh £11 million bid to land long-term target Axel Witsel. The Potters have been long-term admirers of the Zenit St Petersburg man and chief exec Tony Scholes admitted Stoke City could break their transfer record again this summer.

The Sun are reporting that Mark Hughes will once again try to land the Belgium international this summer after having an offer rebuffed by the Russian club in January.

Stoke City did manage to sign £18.3 million man Giannelli Imbula in January and they are once again in the market for a quality midfielder this summer and are hoping to partner him with Witsel for next season.

Witsel has been around Europe for many years and his consistent performances have the caught the eye of other teams. His accurate passing and powerful dribbling is one of his strongest attributes whilst aerial duels is a strength of his, aerial duels is a crucial asset to play in the Premier League especially in one of the most demanding positions in midfield. Witsel is a clever player and plays with maturity - we rarely dives into tackles; this can let him down on the other hand as his tackling can be a weakness. An added bonus to have the likes of Witsel is his versatility, in his career he has been tried in as a winger, attacking midfielder, a number 8 and a defensive midfielder. After being tested in many areas Witsel has cemented himself a place in central midfield where he feels most comfortable. His good form has always been rewarded and he has been capped 64 times for Belgium so far, scoring 6 goals.

Stoke won’t get their man easily, with the 27-year-old Belgium ace also attracting interest from Italian side Roma.

Everton & Stoke Compete To Sign £10million-Rated Leeds United Midfielder

Taylor Cornish March 28, 2016

Will Lewis Cook be on the move this summer, or will the asking price continue to deter top flight clubs? The highly rated Leeds midfielder was under transfer bid during the January transfer window but Premier League offers were kept at bay by an ambitious price tag. With the end of the season fast approaching, interest in the 19-year old is stepping up once again.

 

According to reports released by The Sun earlier in the week, a duo of Premier League clubs are ready to battle it out for the signature of £10million-rated Leeds United midfielder Lewis Cook.

The teenage sensation has been attracting plenty of attention from England’s top tier of late, and his 35-yard wonder strike vs Fulham in February will have only invoked further interest from the league above.

The 19-year old is currently playing in just his 2nd season of senior football but has managed to rack up 71 league appearances nonetheless. This regular game time has no doubt done wonders for the England U19 player’s development and top flight clubs Everton and Stoke are keen to snap him up this summer.

Securing his services isn’t going to be a walk in the park, though. Steve Evans revealed that the club received a host of offers for the hot prospect during the January transfer window but Massimo Cellino was assured in stating that he wasn’t for sale. Premier League club Bournemouth were the latest to be rebuffed with a £5million bid turned away – Cellino demanding at least twice this fee for their academy product. The youngster’s current deal would take him up to the summer of 2017, but with Leeds currently sitting in the bottom half of the Championship, Cook won’t be against a move away from Elland Road.

What Do The Stats Say?

A comparison between Lewis Cook and some of the Championship’s highest-rated U21 central midfielders gives you an idea as to what Premier League clubs would be getting with the Leeds player. As you can see pictured above, Cook’s pass completion for 2015/16 comes in at least 4% higher than the other 4 players. Whilst his average of 25 forward passes per 90 minutes also prevails with at least 2.4 more than any other player in the comparison. The defensive side of his game, however, can be subject to criticism on occasions - Cook ranking 4th in this comparison for tackles won with 1.67 per 90 minutes. Although his average interceptions count is slightly more promising, Maitland-Niles and Browne still comfortably beat the Leeds man by 0.82 & 1, respectively.

In terms of Lewis Cook’s career stats, we can break down the areas of his game into passing, defending & attacking aspects to analyse the per game averages of his 70 senior games. Starting with his passing, Cook currently holds a career pass completion rate of 77% with an average of 28.7 accurate passes and 1 key pass per game. The Yorkshire-born midfielder has also claimed 2 assists to date with 50% of these coming directly from crosses.

Defensively, Cook averages 2.2 successful tackles per game as well as 1.5 interceptions, although it’s worth noting he finished 2014/15 with 2 interceptions per game to his name. With just 0.6 clearances per game over the 70 game period, there are certainly indications that suggest Cook favours possession football with his desire to play out from defence highlighted here. Whilst an average of just 0.1 blocked shots per game also shows that his optimum position may be suited to a more advanced role.

The teenager only opened his senior goalscoring account this term but with the fashion he has scored in we can expect to see his reasonably tame 0.7 shots per game make a sharp increase in the near future. Whilst Cook completes an average of 1.2 dribbles per match his possession stats will need fine-tuning if he is to make the jump to England’s top tier. To date, he averages 1.8 dispossessions per game as well as 1.5 unsuccessful touches but it is worth considering his average of almost 2 poor touches per game in 2015/16.

Statistics aside, it is ultimately the capability Cook has shown making the seamless transition from Leeds United’s academy to a regular starter for the club. When also considering that no teenager has played more minutes of Championship football (2880) than Lewis Cook this season, it appears as though he’d be a promising prospect for Premier League clubs.

*stats sourced from whoscored.com

 

 

Gossip: Kroos Considering Arsenal Offer, Man Utd Want Barca Star & Chelsea’s Roma Raid

Oli Price-Bates March 16, 2016

We’ve had a look over the latest rumours emerging from around Europe. Today’s gossip column looks at several hotly tipped big moves including Toni Kroos potentially coming to the Premier League. You can follow all the latest news and gossip as it happens by following us on Twitter @FreshFootball.

Toni Kroos considering offer from Arsenal (AS)

Reports in Spain suggest that Arsenal are one of a number of Premier League clubs that have made an advance to sign Toni Kroos from Real Madrid this summer. The German is reportedly considering his future at the club and Madrid may be willing to let him leave as part of their planned squad overhaul. According to the report originating from AS, Madrid have earmarked Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante as a replacement as he would offer more defensive security. The chance to sign Kroos cannot be missed by the Gunners. He’s a world-class player and the perfect player to keep that midfield ticking from deep. If Kroos were to become available, you would expect the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City to get involved in the bidding. The news comes from AS who can sometimes publish reliable rumours, but they do often speculate and can sometimes publish stories to suit their agendas so don’t buy the t-shirts just yet.

Manchester United eyeing Barcelona stopper to replace David de Gea (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United are reportedly eyeing Barcelona’s Marc-Andre Ter Stegen as a replacement for David de Gea, who they are anticipating will join Real Madrid this summer. Ter Stegen is playing in Barcelona’s Champions League fixtures, but Claudio Bravo remains the teams number one in La Liga. The chance to become the undoubted number 1 at United would surely be tempting for the young German. Whether Barcelona would be willing to approve a deal that would allow arch-rivals Real Madrid to strengthen is another matter. If Manchester United managed to seal this deal then they wouldn’t miss de Gea too much, as Ter Stegen isn’t far off his level and has plenty of time to improve, aged just 23.

Chelsea to make £30million offer for Roma defender Kostas Manolas (Il Tempo)

Reports from Italy suggest that Roma are desperately trying to extend the contract of their star defender Kostas Manolas, amid interest from several top European clubs. The report lists Chelsea as a possible destination, whilst Arsenal have long been linked with the Greek defender. But Chelsea seems like a more likely move, with the London club set to release John Terry and concerns remaining over the form of Gary Cahill. Signed for £10million from Olympiacos, Roma will not want to sell Manolas, but they wouldn’t be short changed in any sale.

Jack Butland set to commit long-term future to Stoke City (Telegraph)

23-year-old Butland is thriving at Stoke City and he has no intentions of moving on anytime soon. The Englishman is reportedly set to sign a new five-year contract, committing his long-term future to the Potters. A move to a bigger club would make no sense at this stage of his career, unless he could be guaranteed as first choice. The only big club that might be able to offer him that status anytime soon is Manchester United, if de Gea did leave in the summer. Either way, Stoke are not going to sell Butland for a low amount of money and a new contract would only raise his value even more. This is brilliant news for Stoke City fans.

You can follow all the latest news and gossip as it happens by following us on Twitter @FreshFootball.

Chelsea Fans Happy With Imminent Petr Cech Replacement

Josh Challies June 30, 2015

Chelsea fans were upset to lose legendary goalkeeper Petr Cech to Arsenal yesterday but the fans are pleased with the replacement being lined-up, as the Blues are reportedly closing in on a deal for Asmir Begovic.

Reports state the Bosnian has agreed a deal with Chelsea but a fee with Stoke City needs to be finalised, as it’s stated Jose Mourinho’s opening £6m offer has been quickly rebuffed- with the Staffordshire side holding out for around £10m.

Chelsea have that figure to spend following Cech’s sale, with the 33-year-old fetching £10.9m, and replacing the long-serving stopper with a 28-year-old with Premier League experience seems to be a very good deal.

Fans are aware that Begovic will only be back-up to first-choice Thibaut Courtois but the club need a strong squad to compete on all fronts, so the potential signing of the Bosnian World Cup debutant is impressing them.

However, rival supporters believe Begovic is simply too good to be a reserve at Stamford Bridge.

With a deal looking likely to be completed next month, is Begovic making the right career move?

‘Great Result’: Palace Fans Delighted With Crucial Victory Against Stoke

Daniel Binns March 24, 2015

Alan Pardew took his confident Palace side to the Britannia Stadium to take on Mark Hughes’ Stoke City. With the Stoke fans their usual boisterous selves and Palace selling out their allocation as ever, the stage was set for a proper Premiership encounter.

Stoke dominated the early stages of this contest and restricted the Eagles to very little going forward. They went ahead through former Manchester United striker Mame Diouf midway through the first half. The Senegal international latched on from a deflected Charlie Adam freekick, and slotted past Speroni with a clever first time finish.

The game came to life towards the end of the first period as Palace were handed a reprieve from absolutely nowhere. Asmir Begovic was adjudged to have brought down Yannick Bolasie in what could easily gone the other way as Bolasie’s boot was raised as the two clashed. Man in form Glen Murray emphatically dispatched to level the scoring making it 4 in his last 4 for the Eagles.

Minutes later, the game was turned on it’s head as a mistake from the Stoke back-line allowed the dangerous Wilf Zaha in to steal in capitalize very late on in the first half showing great pace and composure en route to his 3rd goal of the season.

No more goals were scored the meaning Palace moved up a place to 11th and are still on course to achieving their highest Premier league finish in their history. This was under Tony Pulis the previous season in what seemed to be an impossible job to replicate, yet Pardew is on course to exceed that. Looks as if this is one Premiership club on the up. Great news for football in the South of the capital.

‘If He Ends Up There…’: Fans Can’t Believe Latest Stoke Rumour

Josh Challies January 7, 2015

Football fans have been left baffled after it emerged Stoke City are interested in signing Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri!

It truly is one of the most ridiculous links we’ve heard so far as, despite the fact I’m sure they’d love to have Shaqiri in Staffordshire, I can’t quite see why the Swiss World Cup star would turn down Inter Milan and Liverpool for the chance to play under Mark Hughes, alongside Peter Crouch.

Still, it’s led to some golden responses- including some that we can’t publish due to aggressive language. It’s ruffled a few feathers at Liverpool too, who are set to declare war on the club if Shaqiri is pinched from under their noses by the mighty Potters.

Will we get a better rumour this month?

‘Embarrassing, Disgraceful, Pathetic’: Arsenal Fans Condemn Viral Video

Josh Challies December 8, 2014

It was another disappointing weekend for Arsenal fans as their club suffered their third Premier League defeat in the last five games, with a 3-2 loss away at Stoke City.

However, things soon went from bad to worse on Saturday evening as a video emerged of some fans staying late at Stoke to abuse manager Arsene Wenger as he boarded the train back to London. The clip soon went viral and has made many of Monday morning’s newspapers, portraying a negative image of Arsenal fans.

Whilst this is a vast minority of the supporters, the damage from the video is damning and the majority of supporters took to social media to condemn those guilty of this inexcusable action.

‘On Another Level’: Stoke Fans Rave About Young Star

Josh Challies December 1, 2014

Stoke City lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield this weekend but the fans are still high on spirits, mostly due to the consistently impressive performances displayed by young Catalan striker Bojan Krkic.

The youngster was tipped for great things at Barcelona but failed to make the grade, which resulted in transfers at Ajax and Roma before his move to the Premier League. Now in England, he has started to show his class once again and looks destined for greatness, which has earned him criticism from Stoke and rival fans alike.

Liverpool fans were also impressed by the performances of Bojan during their victory, whilst Barcelona fans identified that Bojan was looking back to his best.

‘Am I On Drugs!?’: Twitter In Disbelief Over Liverpool Goalscorer

Josh Challies December 1, 2014

Twitter went into overdrive on Saturday afternoon as Liverpool’s late winner in front of the Kop came from an extremely unlikely source, as defender Glen Johnson bundled home the goal that gave the Reds a 1-0 victory over Stoke.

Johnson has had plenty of abuse from Liverpool and England fans this season, with his international career looking likely to be over and the Reds preparing to ship him out. However, he still did the business next weekend as he literally threw his neck on the line to score the only goal of the game, injuring himself in the process.

Twitter was full of jokes aimed at Johnson but it was he who got the last laugh, and Liverpool the three points.

‘He’s Done Nothing!’: Spurs Fans Furious After Defeat Against Stoke City

Josh Challies November 9, 2014

Tottenham Hotspur suffered another disappointing result this afternoon with a 2-1 loss against Stoke City at White Hart Lane, which heaped more pressure on manager Mauricio Pochettino.

With Spurs slipping into the bottom half of the table fans of the club were furious, as their frustrations increased following an unconvincing victory in the Europa League on Thursday. One thing they can’t decide though is whether to blame Pochettino, or whether Daniel Levy is the problem- as he is the man that has sacked literally everyone.

Will it get any better for Spurs fans? On their showing this afternoon, probably not.