If reports are to be believed, Stoke City are extremely close to landing Paris Saint-Germain star Jese Rodriguez on loan as Mark Hughes grows desperate to add more attacking threat to his side. The Spanish star has been out of the limelight for some time after breaking onto the fore with Real Madrid and could benefit hugely from some Premier League football.
The Potters looked blunt against a quality Everton side on Saturday as they lost by a slim 1-0 margin at Goodison Park. Hughes’ back line did look impressive though as they were mostly successful in stopping a dangerous Everton attack, which seemed quite brilliant on paper.
However, it has been the attacking third that worries Hughes. Following the sale of Marko Arnautovic to West Ham United, Stoke City are yet to fill that left-wing position with a potential replacement and the 24-year-old Spaniard could be a temporary yet quality option for the manager. Hughes fielded Bojan Krkic and Mame Diouf to compensate for the towering Austrian, who were successful to a large extent, but as the manager remarked, they would need a cutting edge up front to make a difference.
Their other Spanish forward Joselu, who is currently struggling to return from an Achilles tendon problem, is likely to be offloaded this summer that would get finalized with Rodriguez’s arrival. 24-year-old Jese was one of Real’s brighter stars in the 2015-16 season and many had touted him to be one of the next Balon d’Or contenders down the line before a serious knee ligament injury pretty much changed its course.
He was with USD Las Palmas last season on loan and looked distracted from the game. However, he has undeniable qualities and at 24, still time in his hand to get back on track. At PSG, his chances of making it to the regular eleven would be an insurmountable task surely.
The Ligue1 giants have a plethora of players up front who can step up to make a difference single-handedly like Angel di Maria, Lucas Moura, Hatem Ben Arfa, Javier Pastore, Julian Draxler and now Neymar. And although Jese had come to the French capital at the back of a reputation for having such a potential, he hasn’t stood by it.
He played 16 times for Las Palmas last season scoring thrice and providing one assist. Premier League would be a wise option for the player where he would get the required traction ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
