This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
FLW’s Stoke City fan pundit Ben Rowley has claimed an ideal former player for the current side would be Steven Nzonzi.
The French international played for the Potters from 2012 to 2015, having arrived from Blackburn Rovers.
The midfielder made over 100 appearances for the club in that period and helped the team solidify themselves as a strong mid-table presence in the Premier League.
Since leaving the club, he has gone on to earn a Europa League and World Cup winners medal, which has been highlighted by this Stoke supporter.
Nzonzi’s style of play has also been highlighted as tools that Alex Neil’s current squad could use.
The now 33-year-old’s talents are something this fan believes the current crop of players are lacking.
“I don’t know where he’s at these days, but I’d love to have Steven Nzonzi back in the team,” Rowley told Football League World.
“He was just a magnificent player, certainly underrated from when we had him at the club.
“Plenty of people accused him of passing sideways and having a bit of a temper, but he has proven to be such a top-quality footballer who keeps the play ticking, creates chances, good defensively, has won Europa Leagues with Sevilla, has won World Cups with France.
“I know that he’s in the twilight of his career now, but you do wonder [as] Stoke need a real professional base in that midfield.
"It may be completely unrealistic but I’d love to see him play for Stoke again.”
Nzonzi has since made the move to Qatar’s domestic league, where he currently competes for Al-Rayyan.
The former Stoke player may no longer be at his best, but he is still competing and has yet to hang up his boots.
He has been with his current club since 2021 but has only made a dozen or so appearances since making the switch from Roma.
The Verdict
Nzonzi was always a top performer with Stoke and was one of the team’s better players when they were a consistent Premier League presence.
While the current version of the midfielder may not be of much use to Neil, the Nzonzi who competed for Stoke a decade ago would be a great asset to the team.
The achievements that he went on to earn after leaving the club speak for themselves.
If a player of that calibre joined Stoke any time soon then it would significantly boost their promotion chances.