When news broke that former Barcelona maestro Bojan Krkic signed for Stoke City, you could have been forgiven for thinking that you were indeed tripping on acid.
Reclaiming the No27 shirt he wore when he made his Nou Camp debut at the age of 17, Bojan will look to show that he is still a top quality player. Remarkably, seven years ago, Bojan was actually breaking into the Barcelona first team, actively competing with Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a starting position. While Henry was the marquee new signing, Bojan stood out, especially on Barca’s pre-season trip to Scotland. Additionally, when he scored against Villareal, Bojan became the club’s youngest-ever La Liga goalscorer. As Henry said; ‘he is a Catalan kid and the supporters love nothing more than to have a local hero.’
With an embarrassment of riches, the 2009-10 season saw Barcelona begin the campaign with Zlatan, Messi and Henry in a three pronged attack. Yet amazingly it was Bojan who ended up taking the place of an irritated Ibrahimovic. However, when Ibra left and David Villa arrived, Bojan knew his time was up, especially as Pedro emerged from the shadows.
Signing the forward on a four year contract, Mark Hughes, who spent two years at Barcelona as a player, could very well have completed one of the shrewdest signings of the summer. As surprising as the acquisition is, there have been other equally peculiar transfers in the past.
When Juninho moved from Sao Paolo to Middlesbrough in 1995, many questioned the classy midfielder’s judgment. Swapping the beaches and Brazilian beauties for a lack of beaches and beautiful women, Juninho was obviously intrigued by the uprising that Bryan Robson was initiating. Strangely, Juninho grew to love The Riverside, and helped the club reach two cup finals in the 1996/97 season.
Twelve years on from the diminutive maestro’s move to Middlesbrough, Jonathan Woodgate moved to the very same club from Real Madrid. In all honesty, who in their right mind would even entertain the thought of moving from the Santiago Bernabeu to the north east of England? Although his three years at Madrid were injury-plagued, Woodgate played alongside Galacticos like Zizou Zidane and Raul. Needless to say, upon moving to Middlesbrough, Woodgate never reached those lofty heights again, spending most of his days nursing injuries and enjoying the miserable British weather.
How about Roberto Mancini’s 2001 move from Lazio to Leicester? Hugely respected, many still mention Man-kini’s name when discussing the greatest Italian players of the 80’s and 90’s. After spending 15 years with Sampdoria, Roberto moved to Lazio. In the twilight of his career, Leicester manager Peter Taylor somehow persuaded the Italian stallion to move to Leicester. Not quite as effective as Juninho; the then 36 year old possessed the pace of a lame tortoise and made only three appearances for The Foxes.
One can’t help but think that the former Barca protégé will prove to be a spectacular ‘Fernando Torres Flop’ or prove a stunning signing. After failing to live up to the vast expectations of the Barca faithful, the tricky attacker is determined to revitalize his career at the Britannia. When a once prominent football pundit questioned whether Messi could cope with a cold, wet, blustery night in Stoke, we all laughed, but now, remarkably, we will get to see if the ‘poor man’s’ Messi can hack it.
After watching the young man score a terrific long range goal in a pre season friendly against Real Betis, one can’t help but be excited by the thought of Bojan playing in the EPL. The fact that the player sees his future at Stoke City is as stimulating as it is mystifying. Hughes has also astutely signed the likes of Steve Sidwell and Phil Bardsley- both free transfers- and perhaps this dexterity has shown Bojan that Hughes has a firm plan for the season ahead. The aforementioned duo will certainly add strength and know-how to Sparky’s squad.
Let’s not forget Stephen Ireland: this could be his season to truly shine and the Irishman must be relishing his new lease of life after being confined to the proverbial wastelands at Aston Villa. With everything to prove, Ireland must be keen to show just why he was once regarded as the player that made Manchester City tick. After last season’s top ten finish, can Bojan, a signing which has captured the imagination of fans around the world, propel Stoke on further? Still only 23-years of age and costing a mere £3m, the Britannia Stadium could very well be home to the bargain of the season.
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