Stoke City had just achieved an impressive ninth-place finish in the Premier League with Mark Hughes in charge.

The club’s hierarchy wanted the style of play to differ under Hughes than it was under former boss Tony Pulis. And that would mean a change in tack of their transfer policy.

Players with flair and that would make the Potters more expansive were what was desired to bring the club forward to a more modern style of football.

On July 22, 2014, Stoke and their fans for a taste of the new, more fashionable Potters when they completed the signing of Bojan Krkic from Barcelona.

 https://twitter.com/stokecity/status/491632671278497792

The Spaniard signed a four-year deal at the then-named Britannia Stadium, to what can only be deserved as utter awe from the Stoke fans at their ability to pull off what seemed to be a transfer coup for the ages in bringing the wonderkid to the Potteries.

The initial reaction was off the charts in excitement and in favour of the transfer.

During his first season in the Premier League, it was a learning curve, but he managed to score five goals before January when his season was curtailed by a knee injury.

That would be all the Stoke fans would see of their marquee addition from the summer before.

Bojan would return from injury in the summer and featured in a friendly before making his first league appearance in nine months in September, a 2-2 draw with Leicester City.

After an injury-hit start to his Stoke career, the former Barcelona made came back from a knee injury to bag seven goals in 31 appearances for his new side in his second season at the club.

Things were progressing for the 25-year-old who had a hand in Stoke recording a second successive ninth-place finish, with a four-point improvement.

It was all looking positive for Bojan - but his Stoke career would take a hit in November of 2016 when he would play his last Premier League game for the Potters, a 2-0 home defeat to Wolves.

A loan move to Mainz in January is where he would see out the 2016/17 season, scoring one goal in the Bundesliga.

That season Stoke regressed and finished 13th. After a poor start, the season after Mark Hughes was sacked and Bojan was once again ousted from the Bet365 Stadium after one Premier League game in August.

Alaves would be the temporary destination for the one-time wonderkid, were he would score once in 16 appearances in La Liga as his parent club were relegated from the Premier League after ten years.

Having been relegated, many thought - including Bojan - that he would get an escape route out of Stoke, but no move was forthcoming, and so he would start the Championship season with the second-tier side.

So far this campaign, the Spaniard has made 11 appearances and scored his first goal of the campaign - a late leveller away at Rotherham at the end of September.

The initial flurry of responses to his signing were ones of anticipation to see one of Europe’s biggest talents shine on the Premier League stage.

But Bojan flattered to deceive and did not live up to the hype many had expected.

Now 28, the former Barcelona man has gone from playing with Lionel Messi to being in the same team as Peter Crouch and James McClean in the second-tier of English football in little under four years.

The potential has not been fulfilled, contrary to the reaction upon his arrival that he was to be the next best thing.

His Stoke career is finally getting off the ground again, albeit it at a lower level after a difficult couple of years.

And despite not living up to the hype, you can’t knock his professionalism in keeping at it trying to help the Stoke cause to get back to the Premier League.

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