Diouf to be offered a Premier League return by Stoke
Published:
Stoke fans could be queuing up to get “Diouf” printed on the back of their shirts for the new season but the Potters faithful needn’t worry about seeing Leeds reject El Hadji at their club.
Stoke chairman Peter Coates has revealed that the club are in talks with Bundesliga outfit Hannover 96 to bring former Manchester United striker Mame Biram back to the Premier League.
Senegal international Diouf was brought to England by the Old Trafford giants after smashing 45 goals in 86 games for Norwegian outfit Molde – the club where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made his name – but his time at the Red Devils failed to live up to hype.
A return of just one solitary goal was all he had to show for his nine first team appearances and while a haul of six strikes from 29 loan games at Blackburn hinted at his talent he was allowed to leave for Germany.
Stoke though are prepared to give the 26-year-old a second crack at England’s top flight after his 35 strikes in 71 games for Hannover made him one of the most sought-after strikers in the Bundesliga.
In an interview with BBC Radio Stoke Coates had a swipe at former Potters boss Tony Pulis’ recruitment tactics and said that manager Mark Hughes is hoping to secure a speedy deal.
“He’s the striker Mark wanted last year. We thought twice we’d got the deal done only for the deal to collapse, as it does in football,” he said.
“We’ve got a few irons in the fire with other players. Tony Pulis had a preference for leaving things late. I wasn’t always sure he was right but that’s what he felt, so we tended to go down that path.”
Despite the news, Stoke remain 2500/1 to win the Premier League but if Diouf can maintain his form then an improvement on last year’s ninth place finish and the possibility of European football could beckon.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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