He may have looked like a duck out of water so far during his difficult introduction to life in Premier League football, but it wasn't just Newcastle United who had been courting him during the summer. With Monaco keen to cut their losses on a 24 year old hitman who had never really hit the ground running in Ligue 1, Mark Hughes was keen to take him off their hands during the summer.
''We certainly had an interest and had conversations with people close to him. There was an indication he might be available this summer, so we pursued it to a certain extent. But you need enthusiasm from the other side and maybe we didn't see that. Maybe their thinking was they were looking at other clubs rather than ourselves.'' - Mark Hughes, September 2014.
The betting man would probably predict that the Welshman will be having the last laugh this season, with the turmoil-ridden north-east oufit looking odds-on to be embroiled in a season-long relegation dogfight. Stoke, on the other hand, are currently well stocked in attack, and can boast the likes of Mame Diouf, Peter Crouch and Bojan Krkic amongst their arsenal.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
