Following the capture of centre-back Philipp Wollscheid and goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard, Stoke City announced the signing of Hannover 96 striker Joselu in an €8 million deal as Stoke City’s rebuilding programme picked up pace.
Discussing his new acquisition with the club’s official website, Potters boss Mark Hughes feels that the former Spain U21 international – who’d been on Stoke’s radar for a while – adds an extra dynamic to his squad:
“Joselu has an excellent pedigree and is a player we have been tracking for some time. He has skills and attributes that are different to what we already have within the squad but will complement the attacking players we already have at our disposal. Joselu is excited about testing himself in the Premier League and we’re delighted to have him with us.”
The History
The Stuttgart-born Joselu was brought up in Spain and cut his teeth at Celta Vigo’s youth academy. Having scored three goals in 21 appearances for the B side, he made two cameos for the senior squad in the 2008/09 Segunda Division campaign.
Real Madrid were impressed enough to offer Joselu a contract that summer, before loaning him back to Celta Vigo for the following campaign – which harvested just four goals in 24 appearances. Joselu then spent two seasons playing for Real’s reserve outfit, notching 40 times in 72 league outings, though in his only appearance for the first team, he netted in a 5-1 Copa del Rey win over SD Ponferradina.
Joselu’s prolific record at the reserve level encouraged Bundesliga side Hoffenheim to snap him up in the summer of 2012. A return of just five goals and two assists in the 2012/13 season prompted a loan switch to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he went on to record 14 strikes and three assists in all competitions. A move to Hannover 96 followed, with Joselu serving up eight goals and four assists in the last Bundesliga campaign.
The Prospects
Standing at 6ft 3in tall and boasting target-man credentials (he won 54% of his aerial duels and netted two headed goals last term), Joselu looks poised to assume the lone striker role in Hughes’ favoured 4-2-3-1 set-up. Given that Peter Crouch underwent groin surgery in late May, the Potters’ latest acquisition has been afforded a great opportunity to immediately cement a starting berth.
That being said, Hughes might be tempted to retain Mame Biram Diouf up top given how well he performed in the final quarter of the 2014/15 campaign. The Senegalese marksman notched four goals in six matches upon being handed a central berth, bagging a brace against Liverpool in a 6-1 trouncing on the final day of the season, though his pace and versatility could see him shifted onto the flank to accommodate the new boy.
Bojan Krkic’s much-awaited return from injury also influences how we evaluate Joselu’s prospects. Although not strictly a threat to his position (Bojan scored all four of his goals playing in “the hole” behind a central striker) his creative influence on the pitch would surely enhance Joselu’s goal threat. Among those forwards that clocked more than 500 minutes last season, only Bobby Zamora (one every 48.3 minutes) crafted chances at a faster rate than Bojan (48.3). Furthermore, if Bojan can rediscover the form (four strikes in 11 starts) he displayed before succumbing to a cruciate knee ligament injury, the budget frontman – who may yet be fit in time for Stoke’s season opener on 9 August – could well be the prime pick among their forward line.
Certainly, there’d be no surprise if Bojan came in at 5.5 again in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, whereas Joselu – as a more advanced option – is likely to be handed a price tag of around 6.5.
All things considered, any interest in Joselu as an early-season differential is tempered somewhat by the Potters’ schedule.
Visitors Liverpool will surely be out for revenge in Gameweek 1 following the above-mentioned humbling, while a trip to Tottenham awaits Hughes’ troops the weekend after. A Carrow Road clash with newly-promoted Norwich City and a home meeting with West Bromwich Albion provide some respite, before a visit to Arsenal in Gameweek 5 caps off an unforgiving quintet of fixtures. Considering that their schedule turns kinder from Gameweek 6 (LEI, BOU, avl, swa, WAT, new), Fantasy managers seem likely to hold back on Stoke coverage during the initial stages, allowing time to assess Joselu’s impact.
