Former Stoke City player Jese Rodriguez has reflected on his time at the club.
The forward signed for the Potters during their stint in the Premier League back in 2017 as part of a loan agreement with Paris Saint-Germain.
His start to life at the Bet365 Stadium saw him score the winner in a big home win over Arsenal.
But Mark Hughes’ side didn’t enjoy much success throughout the rest of that campaign, with the Welshman being dismissed midway through the season as the team were relegated to the Championship.
Jese has claimed that his time at Stoke was a nightmare and an adventure he’d like to forget.
Speaking to TMW, the 29-year old claimed that he had offers to move to Italy instead, but he ended up at Stoke which he did not ultimately enjoy.
“It’s true, I had some important offers from Italy but in the end I made other decisions,” said Jese, via Sport Witness.
“In recent years I have worn the shirts of some of the most prestigious clubs in the world and I have won trophies such as La Liga, Copa del Rey, Ligue 1, the French Super Cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup, the Club World Cup…
“The worst adventure was certainly the one in the Premier League, where for various circumstances I did not feel good.”
Jese featured 13 times for the club in the Premier League, making eight starts and scoring only one goal.
That goal came in his debut, with a further assist coming in a 7-2 away loss to Manchester City.
The Spaniard has since played for Real Betis, Sporting Lisbon and Las Palmas.
The Verdict
Jese was one of numerous exciting attacking players that Stoke signed in the club’s later Premier League years.
But while Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic worked out well, Jese did not reach the same highs as those two.
He instead joined the likes of Bojan who similarly failed to make much of an impact for the Potters.
That was a disastrous campaign for the club, which signalled the end of their 10-year stay in the top flight, so it comes as no surprise to hear that Jese did not enjoy his time in England.