Kenwyne Jones is a snug fit for Stoke City. It’s difficult to imagine a centre-forward more suited to the brand of football that Tony Pulis has cultivated down at the Britannia. Towering, muscular with a rangy turn of pace that, on the end of a Shawcross up-and-under will cause panic amongst even the most accomplished defence. As for the first touch – less said about that the better but then then he won’t need Bergkamp-like qualities to produce if Rory Delap can stick a dozen throw-ins on Jones’ lofty bonce.
Pulis has today described his new signing as “unplayable” and at times that can appear the case. Jones is chaos-causing striker and Pulis knows he has the tools and drills within his squad to harness his unrefined talent. The Stoke boss even has knowledge of the striker having worked with him back in the 2004/05 season when Jones scored 3 goals whilst on loan at Stoke.
So will all this turn into Fantasy potential? It’s tempting to offer the affirmative and encourage you to dive right in…
Jones has a decent returns record in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game that demonstrates that when he’s fit and firing, he’ll produce the goods for investors. Nine goals and three assists in 24 starts last term, followed hauls of 10 goals and 2 assists in 25 starts in 08/09 and 7 goals and 10 assists in 33 starts in 07/08. Jones looks a strong bet for double figures somewhere in his Fantasy tally at Stoke then, if he can find form and steer clear of his friendly physio.
Steve Bruce’s “shot” aimed at Jones today tells a story though. “Frustrating” sums up Jones’ stint at the Stadium of Light and offers a word of caution to potential Fantasy owners.
“There has always been a frustration with me – and I think with supporters who have watched Kenwyne – that you see an abundance of talent, but it has not come out often enough for us for whatever reason. We were not seeing the best of Kenwyne.”
Jones’ stock has taken a rise however. At 7.0 in the Fantasy Premier League game however, he still looks set to trail the likes of Fulham’s Bobby Zamora, West Ham’s Carlton Cole and perhaps Wigan’s Mauro Boselli. We’ve revised Jones’ Projection for the season as a result of his move and tweaked that of Matt Etherington too. The wily winger provided no less than 24% of Stoke’s assists last term and he’ll surely relish having a willing Kenwyne Jones as a new target for his searching crosses.
It’s also worth considering where this transfer leaves Sunderland. Steve Bruce has remarked that he’ll look to fill the void left by Jones – the signing of Danny Welbeck on loan from United looks imminent. We gave you our thoughts on his potential in our “Breakouts” article earlier this week.
Welbeck will need time to establish himself in the Sunderland lineup, whilst another new arrival – possibly Loic Remy, would perhaps be a future option. In the meantime Frazier Campbell has the opportunity to make the spot alongside Darren Bent his own. Campbell will look to carry outstanding pre-season form into the opener with Birmingham and at 6.0 in the FPL, looks a good, cheap alternative for those shying away from Bent’s potential.