Man City striker Bony joins Stoke on season-long loan

Joe Williams

Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony has joined Stoke on loan for the rest of the season, both clubs have announced.

City bought Bony in January 2015 in a £28million  deal but the Ivorian failed to dislodge Aguero as the club’s main striker, scoring ten goals in 46 appearances.

Before his move to Manchester, Bony had a fantastic goal record – 53 in 73 for Vitesse Arnhem and 35 in 70 for Swansea – and is a proven scorer in the Premier League.

Mark Hughes was understandably delighted to sign Bony and the former Manchester United striker expects the 27-year-old to make a big impact at the Bet365 Stadium.

“Bringing Wilfried in was a no-brainer for us to be perfectly honest, because he knows the Premier League and has scored plenty of goals at this level,” he told Stoke’s official website.

“He has power, speed and very good physical attributes which will undoubtedly help us, and his technical and finishing skills are outstanding too.

“Eighteen months ago he was being bought for a hugely significant amount of money, so we know that we are bringing in a top quality striker.

“Everybody is aware of Wilfried and what he is capable of, and it was no surprise that one of the bigger clubs came in for him on the back of his performances for Swansea – the only surprise has been that he didn’t enjoy the success with Manchester City that we all thought he would.”