By Ewah Chika.

"Bringing Wilfried Bony in was a no-barrier for us to be perfectly honest, because he knows the Premier League"

"He has power, speed and very good physical attributes which will undoubtedly help us (Stoke), and his technical and finishing skills are outstanding too," were the words of Stoke City manager Mark Hughes after the season loan signing of Ivorian and former Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony on Thursday.

That Bony's season long loan cost as little as £2 million makes it even more interesting considering his goal scoring records. Stoke City are one of the most difficult teams to play due to their defensive discipline yet the same cannot be said of their attack where the likes of Maman Biram Diouf , Peter Crouch, Jonathan Walters and the now departed Joselu have failed to deliver. Little surprise Austrian winger Marco Arnautovic ended up the club's highest goalscorer last season with 11 goals to his name.

At 27, Bony has all the attributes to succeed at the Bet365 Stadium. The former Vitesse striker might have struggled at City but it was evident from day one that his style was not compatible with City's. This is because, pace isn't Bony's best asset nor is he good at switching positions like Sergio Aguero does with the likes of Raheem Sterling and David Silva. Rather, the striker thrives on his strength and physicality which makes him a threat on set-pieces, aerial duels and finishing. Bony is a striker who loves to play through balls and whose finishing is top notch. At City, Bony was required to contribute in defence which is one of his flaws as Chilean Manuel Pellegrini favoured a high energy pressing football. At Stoke, the Ivorian who was rejected by Liverpool in 2007, will play high slightly ahead of the creative and physical duo of Shaqiri and Arnautovic, which will bring balance to Mark Hughes team coupled with the skill and precise passing of Joe Allen or Bojan Kirkic playing slightly behind him in the no.10 position .

While Bony has been criticses for flopping at Manchester City no one cares to know he scored 20 Premier League goals while in Swansea in 2014 (calendar year) which made him the highest goalscorer in the Premier League for the year. Bony also departed Swansea as a cult hero in January 2015, after scoring 35 goals in 70 league games for the Walsh club. It was the same story at Sparta Prague where he scored 17 league goals (Czech Republic), in addition to his five goals in six Europa League games in the 2010/2011 season after winning the league the previous season with the same team. Arnhem Vitesse quickly snapped him up in January 2011 and he blossomed in the Eredivisie , top scoring in the 2012/2013 season ( 31 goals in 30 league games), thus winning the Golden Shoe for the Best Player in the Netherlands.

It is not difficult to fathom why he flopped at City (11 goals in 46 league games) after making a £28 million move from Swansea in January 2015 and becoming the most expensive African player in the process. This season, Bony left Manchester City together with Samir Nasri (Sevilla) Eloaquim Mangala (Valencia) and Joe Hart (Torino) who were all not part of Pep Guardiola's plans at the club. On the good side, Stoke are making an excellent signing as the striker's physical form is still high coupled with his zeal and determination, which makes him a perfect fit for Mark Hughes' side. At Stoke, the Ivorian will play under less pressure and scrutiny compared to his constantly comparison with Sergio Aguero while at Manchester City.

With (Dutch) Erik Pieters and (English) Phil Bradley playing as full backs, (Dutch) Martins Indi patterning (English) Ryan Shawcross in central defence, (French) Gianni Imbula piloting the central midfield with (Irish) Glen Whelan , Stoke City have acquired the missing jigsaw in their attack with the signing of the physical domineering Bingerville born Ivorian (the same birth place of Manchester United's Erik Bailly).

For now judging from records, the signing of Wilfried Bony represents Stoke City best bit of business in the last transfer window as he ticks all the boxes required for an ideal Mark Hughes striker.

Source

http://mailtelegraph..com.ng/2016/09/has-stoke-city-struck-gold-with-wilfred.html?m=1