Spanish forward Jese will attempt to relaunch his stuttering career in England after leaving Paris Saint-Germain to become the latest Champions League winner at Stoke 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 ($29 million) in August 2016. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Spanish team Las Palmas.
Also, Swansea playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson is close to sealing a drawn-out transfer to Everton after completing a medical examination. Everton is reportedly paying 45 million pounds ($58 million) for the Iceland international, wo would be a fourth attacking player to arrive at Goodison Park this summer after Wayne Rooney, Sandro Ramirez and Davy Klaassen.
Stoke, a team from central England that is a perennial mid-table finisher in the Premier League, has become a haven for former high-profile players or one-time prodigies whose careers have stalled.
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 Champions League 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 Champions League-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. Stoke also sold Spanish striker Joselu to Newcastle 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 Premier League this season.
The team managed by Mark Hughes lost 1-0 at Everton in its opening league game of the season on Saturday.
Jese was a highly rated youngster at Real Madrid 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.
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Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80
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