Premier League New Boys: Ibrahim Afellay

From: Barcelona
To: Stoke City
Fee: Free

Why have Stoke City signed him?

Mark Hughes has reportedly always been a fan of the newcomer and tried to sign him in 2010, as manager of Manchester City. Tipped as one of the hottest prospects in world football a few years back, Afellay chose to depart PSV for Barcelona rather than Hughes’ City. However, plagued by injury and a lack of first-team football, he never reached his full potential. The Netherlands international was then loaned to Schalke in August 2012, where he made 15 appearances and scored four goals, before being hit by injury again. The pacy wide man again recovered and was loaned to Olympiacos where he made 29 appearances and scored six goals. Back to full fitness, Hughes got his man on a free transfer. The winger oozes quality and has fantastic technical ability. He is also an established international, winning 50 caps for his country and scoring six goals. Hugging the left wing he can provide crosses to target man Peter Crouch, or with his preferred right foot he can cut inside and link up with former teammate Bojan and the newly acquire Saqiri.

Will he be a good capture?

Undoubtedly, Afellay is a fantastic capture for the Stoke. In his opening match against Liverpool he showed, in patches, that with his superb technical ability and raw talent, that he can be a success in a new look ‘cosmopolitan’ Potters side. Hughes also believes that the Dutchman is versatile and could also play centrally in both midfield and attack. At 29, Afellay has experience and an impressive trophy haul, including three different domestic league titles and the Champions League, to name a few. He will be hoping to add more silverware to his collection in England.