According to Sky Sports, Stoke City boss Paul Lambert has told Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay to stay away from the club for the rest of the campaign. Reportedly, the Potters boss believes the midfielder to be a bad influence on his teammates.
Afellay has struggled to make his mark at Stoke. In fact, he has made just one Premier League start this season, which was in the Potters 5-0 hammering at Chelsea at the end of last year. The former Barcelona player has also made five substitute appearances for the team from Staffordshire.
A wasted career
When Ibrahim Afellay starred as a youngster for PSV Eindhoven in the late 2000’s he was seen as one of the best young attacking midfielders in the world game.
He was part of the Dutch squad that finished runners-up at the 2010 World Cup. In 2011, things got even better for Afellay, as he joined Catalan giants Barcelona. It looked to be a dream move for the star.
However, Afellay experienced a frustrating four years at Nou Camp, in which he made just 21 appearances for the Blaugrana. However, during that time he was loaned out to Greek side Olympiakos and German outfit.
It must be stated that Afellay also experienced injury and issues with his form during his four-year spell in Catalonia.
Stoke looked to have pulled off a coup
In 2015, after a frustrating four years, Afellay joined Stoke on a free transfer after his contract with Barca expired. In his debut campaign, the Dutchman managed 31 Premier League appearances, the most league games he had ever played in any league.
It seemed that stoke had pulled off something of a coup by signing Afellay on a free transfer. His problems with injuries and limited match action looked to be behind him, as he seemed settled in the Potteries, even if he was not pulling up any trees.
However, his last two seasons with the club have been a tale of injuries and poor luck. Afellay has made just 20 Premier League appearances spanning over the last two seasons mainly due to two serious knee injuries.
The situation must have had a negative effect on the midfielder’s state of mind. However, for Paul Lambert to tell him to stay away from the club’s training ground seems to be very strange.
He must have done something bad to be banished from the club when the Potters are in desperate need of points.
Stoke struggling to save themselves
The Potters are struggling to stay in the Premier League this season. Lambert’s side are 19th position in the table, three points away from safety. That does not seem to a big gap, but the Potters have some tough league games to come.
The team from the Potteries face a trip to Arsenal on Sunday, a game they are major underdogs to win at odds of 9/1. The Potters also have to play Tottenham at home and Liverpool away from home before the season is out.
Lambert is obviously attempting to do everything in his power to give the Potters an edge for the rest of the season. The Scot obviously believes that sending Afellay away will benefit the team.
The Dutch midfielder will turn 32 next week and it is a sad turn of events for a player that was once so highly-rated. With a year left his contract, it seems likely he will leave the Potteries for pastures new in the summer. If the Potters suffer relegation, many of his teammates are likely to head to the exit doors in Staffordshire too.
