What happened to Bony?

Stoke striker Wilfried Bony faces old club Swansea on Monday Night Football still seeking his best form. Adam Bate examines the player’s struggles and why there’s hope for the future…

When Stoke loaned Wilfried Bony from Manchester City on deadline day it had to be seen as a coup. At 27, Bony should be in his prime. He’s a player who moved for £28m only last year and one Mark Hughes quickly hailed as a “top-class striker”. It was, he said, “a no-brainer”.

The Stoke boss also admitted he was “surprised” by Bony’s failure to succeed at City but the move to a new environment has not transformed those fortunes just yet. Six games into his Stoke career and Bony is still looking for his first Premier League goal of 2016.

It’s not just the lack of goals. Bony can appear sluggish when not at his best and it’s costing him opportunities. There was a slip when well placed to net against Crystal Palace, while a delay when seemingly through on goal at Hull allowed Michael Dawson to make the block.

Expectations are now being downplayed. “It’s fair to say that we are going to have to be patient,” Hughes admitted seven weeks after talking up the signing. “Wilfried hasn’t had a consistent run of games for some time, so we are trying to get him up to speed.”

Stoke have dismissed suggestions that the player’s attitude could be a problem and there were certainly no signs of a lack of enthusiasm upon his arrival – joining in with training within minutes of a deal being agreed on the final day before the transfer window closed.

He’s eager to get back in a rhythm but at first glance the numbers are a little worrying. It’s …

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