Stoke City’s bad patch continued as the Potters succumbed to their second straight defeat at the hand of Bournemouth. Despite starting the season on a positive note, they have faltered to take advantage of the current situation and as a result, they are currently stuttering in the relegation zone.
If rumours are to believed, Stoke are keeping tabs on Real Betis midfielder Fabian Ruiz. The youngster has been in excellent form for the La Liga side and his meteoric rise has attracted a number of big clubs.
A relatively lesser known player, Ruiz has been with the club since 2004 and was not a first-team starter at the start of the season. But his creativity and tenacity in the midfield has given the side the necessary balance and the manager has been using him pretty frequently since then.
He was the catalyst behind Betis’ outstanding win against Real Madrid and he has been given a free role in the middle of the pitch to do his thing. Midfield is one department in which improvement is always welcome and the current scenario at the BET365 Stadium only makes him even more important.
The absence of a creative force in the middle of the pitch has hit the Potters quite hard this season. Joe Allen has been playing consistently well but he needs a proper rest while Charlie Adam is 31 and sometimes he is badly exposed.
Stoke need bodies to feed balls into attack and Ruiz is just the kind of player Hughes has been craving for. The Spain U21 midfielder could bridge that gap between the defence and the midfield with utter precision.
Ruiz’s current contract includes a release clause which means the player could be available for as little as £13.4m but the Spanish club are trying to alter the current contract in a bid to get more money if they decide to cash in on him.
Southampton are also reportedly monitoring the player. Mauricio Pellegrino needs a player to complement Mario Lemina’s combative display and Ruiz could be perfect for that role.
Betis’ vice-president Lorenzo Serra Ferrer wants the player to play at the club for as long as possible. “With Fabian, the firm commitment is that he will continue to spend a lot of time with us. He has three years of contract and I hope he can play many more. I hope he understands what we are going to propose. He has the desire and the illusion to continue with us and we will arrive to an agreement.”
It will not be easy for Stoke to lure him but do you think he can make a difference to the squad?
