Spaniard Jese joins Stoke on loan from PSG

AFP

Spanish forward Jese will attempt to relaunch his stuttering career in England after leaving Paris Saint-Germain to become the latest UEFA Champions League winner at Stoke City on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Jese joined Stoke on a season-long loan after failing to settle at PSG following his move from Real Madrid for a reported 25 million euros (US$29 million) in August 2016. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Spanish team Las Palmas.

Stoke, a team from central England that is a perennial mid-table finisher in the English Premier League, has become a haven for former high-profile players or one-time prodigies whose careers have dipped.

Since 2014, forwards Bojan Krkic and Ibrahim Afellay have joined from Barcelona while ex-Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri has arrived from Inter Milan. They all have UCL winners' medals, as does ex-Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, who was an offseason signing from West Bromwich Albion.

Most were back-ups for their clubs in their UCL-winning campaigns, with Jese an unused substitute for Real in its victory over Atletico Madrid in the 2016 final.

"Jese was a man in demand when PSG made it clear they would allow him to leave on loan and we're delighted he has chosen to join us," Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes said. "He hasn't had the happiest of periods in his career in Paris, but he's still only a young man and is hungry to make a big impression in the Premier League."

Jese will play out wide and is viewed as a replacement for Marko Arnautovic, who left Stoke this offseason to join West Ham United. Stoke also sold Spanish striker Joselu to Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee on Wednesday.

Stoke announced the arrival of Jese in a tweet that included audio clips from pundits in the British media saying the club lacked ambition and would struggle in the EPL this season.

The team managed by Mark Hughes lost 0-1 at Everton in its opening league game of the season on Saturday.

Jese was a highly rated youngster at Real and made his La Liga debut under coach Jose Mourinho in 2012. He mostly played for Real's reserve team and sustained a serious knee injury in March 2014, ruling him out for nine months.

He signed a five-year deal with PSG last summer but started only one league game, with another eight appearances as substitute.

Although technically skilled, Jese has not played so far this season and does not figure in coach Unai Emery's plans — although the deal with Stoke does not include an option to buy him. At Las Palmas, Jese scored three goals in 13 games.

Jese is Stoke's sixth signing of the summer transfer window, joining the likes of Fletcher, Kurt Zouma, Maxim Choupa-Moting, Bruno Martins Indi and Josh Tymon at The Potters, AFP reported.

Transfer window

The signing of Neymar from Barcelona in a world-record deal means several more players are likely to leave PSG before the transfer window shuts on August 31.

French international forward Hatem Ben Arfa and Polish international midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, both signed a year ago, are rumored to be on their way out after failing to impress PSG coach Unai Emery.

France midfielder Blaise Matuidi is believed to be heading to Italian champion Juventus while controversial Ivory Coast fullback Serge Aurier could also be on his way out.

Meanwhile, Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is due to complete a 45-million pound (US$58 million) move to Everton from EPL rival Swansea City later on Wednesday if he passes a medical, British media reported.

The 27-year-old, due to sign a five year contract worth 100,000 pounds a week, would be Everton's record signing, topping the 31.8 million pounds it paid Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku in 2014.

Sigurdsson, who played a pivotal role in Swansea retaining its EPL status last term after scoring nine goals and creating 13, pulled out of its preseason tour to the United States and was not included in the squad for last weekend's 0-0 draw with Southampton.

Swansea, which is also battling to keep Chelsea target and veteran Spanish striker Fernando Llorente, had wanted 50 million pounds.

It has already turned down two bids from Everton and rejected a reported 40-million pound offer from 2016 champion Leicester City at the beginning of the summer.

It is believed, though, that Everton will get its way in paying an initial 40 million pounds with another 5 million pounds to follow, taking its close season spending under Ronald Koeman to more than 140 million pounds.

Everton's majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has spent close to 100 million pounds so far in recruiting former favorite Wayne Rooney, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, midfielder Davy Klaassen, defender Michael Keane, Cuco Martina and Sandro Ramirez.

However, a considerable proportion of the spending has been financed by the 75-million pound sale of striker Lukaku to Manchester United.

The Toffees could further balance the books with a big-money sale of midfielder Ross Barkley to Tottenham Hotspur, although he is presently injured and likely to be out until October.

Icelandic international Sigurdsson finished third in combined goals and assists amongst midfielders in the EPL last season behind Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne and Tottenham's Christian Eriksen.