Stoke City did not have a very good season, to say the least in the recently concluded Premier League campaign. They had to battle their way all through the season to stay out of the relegation zone and finished finally at the thirteenth position on the league table.
Despite their poor run this term, the Potters have kept their faith intact in their present boss Mark Hughes and will back him in the summer by the looks of it. However, the Welshman will have to prove his worth this time around and has to finish in the top half of the table for sure, just as his side did in the two previous seasons before this one.
Hughes seems to have already started to work out the strategies that can shake up his team’s performance in the next season. He is already eyeing to bring in a number of fresh faces into the squad to strengthen it, including the likes of the brilliant French defender Modou Diagne from Nancy.
Diagne’s current club, Nancy, has already been relegated from the French Ligue 1 for the next season. In a season filled with missed chances and remorseful results, the French club managed to keep a fairly respectable defensive record, thanks to an inspired performance by their young centre back.
In fact, their record at the back has been the 12th best out of the 20 teams in the French Ligue 1 this term, in which they conceded just four more goals than Lyon, who ended the season at number four on the league table.
The youngster’s dominant display for his club at the heart of their defence has attracted a lot of interests from a number of clubs from all over the Europe including the likes of Stoke City. Hughes has also faced problems in marshalling his defence throughout the season, conceding easy goals to hand the advantage to the opponent teams in the Premier League. The Potters coach is desperate to bring in someone like Diagne this season to make his backline perform better in the next season.
The French defender has been a great talent for his club Nancy, but they might have to let go their prized possession in the summer now that they have been relegated from top flight football for the next season. Reportedly, the French club had initially valued Diagne at £3.5 million, but a cut in the price is almost imminent for the defender, given that they have been relegated from the French Ligue 1.
