Stoke City striker Benik Afobe has confirmed that he is set to leave the bet365 Stadium on a season-long loan, as per Justin Allen at the Sun. 

Afobe has revealed to the journalist that he's set to join Trabzonspor on a one-season loan, turning his back on the Sky Bet Championship in favour of the Super Lig.

An announcement to confirm Afobe’s arrival is expected from the Turkish side later today.

Quiz: Are these 10 facts about Stoke City actually true?

 

Former Stoke boss Gary Rowett, upon the club’s return to the Championship, signed Afobe in 2018.

At the time, Afobe had just won the Championship title with Wolves and he even opened his goalscoring account on the opening day of the season in a defeat to Leeds.

However, a turbulent few years that have included a number of setbacks have hindered the 27-year-old.

In total, he managed only nine goals for Stoke across all competitions and was shipped out on loan to Bristol City last season.

Afobe scored three goals in 12 Championship appearances for the Robins, before returning to the bet365 Stadium earlier in the summer.

Michael O’Neill handed Afobe a start in their League Cup clash with Blackpool last month, but he wasn’t involved in the matchday squad on the opening day of the Championship season.

Now, it’s been confirmed that a loan move to Trabzonspor is on the horizon.

The Verdict

It makes sense for Afobe to move out of Stoke this summer after O’Neill has moved to sign alternatives to him up-front.

Afobe was signed for a completely different regime at Stoke and, naturally, there has been a fall down the pecking order.

Bristol City should’ve been his fresh start, but that was taken out of his hands. Now, there will be a hope that a move to Turkey works out well for the striker.

Thoughts? Let us know!