Wilfried Bony to Stoke: Latest Loan Details, Comments and Reaction

Stoke City have completed the signing of Wilfried Bony from Manchester City on a season-long loan.

The club announced the deal on Wednesday:

Bony took to his official Twitter account earlier on deadline day to suggest a move was on the horizon and later announced his delight at signing:

The deal received widespread approval, with the likes of Bleacher Report UK's Sam Tighe, the Guardian's Stuart James, and former Stoke players Michael Owen and Danny Higginbotham giving their takes:

After joining City in January 2015 for a whopping £28 million, Bony failed to show his best form at the Etihad Stadium. Last season, he netted a meagre four goals in the Premier League. Evidently, that was not enough to convince new manager Pep Guardiola—who likes to field hardworking, mobile forwards—to retain his services.

It was clear Bony's time at the Etihad was coming to an end shortly after Guardiola's appointment, as he was left out of the team’s UEFA Champions League squad for the upcoming term.

Stoke will be hoping to bring the best out of the striker again, though, as he was one of the division’s standout target men during his time at Swansea City.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

As these numbers from OptaJoe illustrate, Bony was a frequent goalscorer with the Welsh outfit:

Bony is brutishly strong, extremely composed when chances come his way and able to shield the ball to great effect. 

Granted, those traits weren’t on show frequently at the Etihad Stadium, as Sergio Aguero was typically chosen to lead the line. However, with a sustained run of games at the Bet365 Stadium, manager Mark Hughes seems to believe Bony can find his groove in the Premier League again.

Bony has proved he is capable of scoring goals in English football, and with that in mind, the Potters will view this transfer as something of a coup. Provided his new employers play to his strengths more than City did, one might expect the goals to flow again for the Ivorian.