Gary Rowett has left Derby County to manage Stoke City this summer. As if leaving Derby at such a pivotal time in their history was not bad enough, Rowett went on to join one of their deadliest rivals in the form of Stoke.
Now, to add insult to injury, it seems like he is about to raid his former club in a bid to bolster Stoke and get them back to the Premier League.
Over the last few days, Rowett has been linked with three players of his ex-team. That’s right, the former Derby manager is eyeing moves for Curtis Davies, experienced goalkeeper Scott Carson, and their talismanic striker, Matej Vydra.
But would Vydra be a good signing for the Potters? Well, the answer is yes.
Vydra had an incredible season for Derby, scoring 21 goals in 35 starts for the Rams. He also went on to grab 4 assists for his team. These stats are incredible, especially when you consider that Vydra was playing as a shadow striker behind either David Nugent or Cameron Jerome.
He dropped off a little towards the end of the campaign and only scored 3 in his last 10 games, but his quality is undeniable and he could work wonders for a struggling side like Stoke.
To put things into perspective, it must be noted that Mame Biram Diouf had the best numbers among Stoke’s attackers last season, scoring 6 goals and providing 2 assists. Vydra’s numbers in comparison look brilliant.
Playing in the top-flight, however, is obviously a tad difficult since it is a higher division. But it is clear from these stats that Vydra’s goalscoring form is better than one of Stoke’s best players.
Finally, let’s talk about Rowett’s intent behind signing Vydra. It would prove to be a real power move from Stoke, considering they must get back into the Premier League as soon as possible. If that means backstabbing Derby and spending a massive amount of money on the league’s top-scorer, Rowett should still go for it.
Comments are closed.