Stoke City have recently announced the signing of Schalke winger Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting. The 28-year-old, Hamburg born attacker arrived at the bet365 stadium as a free agent following the expiry of his contract at the end of last season. Choupo had played a decent role in Schalke’s previous two Bundesliga campaigns and is expected to be a great addition for the Potters for the upcoming season. But what does he bring to the table for Mark Hughes’ men?
Strengths
Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting is a traditional winger but also has the ability to act according to the situation. He has a good deal of pace about him and above all, he can run in behind the defence. He can dribble and cut in from the left flank in order to find the pocket of space to unleash a vicious shot at goal. Choupo is widely renowned for his shooting abilities, and the fact that he can also go head to head with opposition defenders, make him a great acquisition for the English outfit.
He isn’t afraid to get involved in aerial duels against the defenders, having attempted a sensational 138 headed duels last season whilst winning 62 of them. The former Mainz attacker also averages more than three take-ons per match, a very good number indeed. Choupo Moting created the third most number of chances for his team last season, only Max Meyer and Johannes Geis managed more. In addition, his attacking versatility is something coach Mark Hughes will be delighted of. Besides acting as a left winger, the Cameroonian International can also play as a striker.
Weaknesses
Despite all his offensive advantages, Choupo Moting has a poor passing rate with an accuracy of 73%. He is also very reluctant to get involved in defensive actions, averaging only one per game. While he is definitely not someone who has loads of talent. You would be fooled to believe, that Choupo can make the difference all on his own. He just lacks the quality to do so.
Opportunities
The current Stoke roster is lacking in individuals at the moment. That would definitely see Choupo Moting, getting a lot of minutes. With the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Bojan alongside him, it will make the Stoke offence, a much more potent bunch next season. While his free transfer could pave the way for the club to spend a bit more cash on additional transfer arrivals to get ready for next season’s challenge. Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting, by all means, has been a great transfer for the Potters, considering his vast experience in the Bundesliga, and having played for a club like Schalke in the past, he doesn’t lack the experience at the top level either.
Threats
One would think that the Cameroonian International is slowly ceasing off as an offensive winger. He hasn’t exactly been pivotal for Schalke in the past few seasons and his goal-scoring rate seems to be decreasing every season. Therefore, Mark Hughes can’t be overly reliant on this former Schalke winger, and should instead, look for a more prominent transfer target in the market in order to replace Marko Arnautovic. But then again, as a free transfer, Choupo Moting has actually been a very good signing.
