After a decade away from English football, cult hero Steven Nzonzi finally makes his return official, as he signs for Stoke City on a one-year contract.
The French midfielder, who won the World Cup with Les Bleus in 2018, has a wonderful career path to look at, playing at a myriad of clubs. Among them are top European clubs like Sevilla FC and AS Roma, but we can also find more surprising seasons in Qatari al-Rayyan, Turkish Konyaspor and, most recently, Iranian Sepehan SC.
Nzonzi chose to break with Sepehan this summer due to ‘safety reasons’, likely referring to the escalated conflict between Iran and Israel. He proceeded to look for a safe place to take his family. Ergo, Stoke-on-Trent.
It was at Stoke City, in the then Barclays Premier League, where Nzonzi announced himself to the world. The almost two-meter-tall Frenchman dominated the midfield and often thundered in a goal or two from long range.
Now Nzonzi is a 36-year-old veteran, back in a Stoke team that is shooting high after many tough years in the Championship. The team is rock solid at the back with the fewest goals conceded in the season so far, thanks in no small part to their star goalkeeper, Viktor Johansson. Stoke manager Mark Robins will now hope that Nzonzi can help them with creativity at the other end.
Stoke City are currently third in the league after managing to secure fourteen points in the first eight games. As always in the Championship, the season is long, and there are many other teams desperate for promotion. But Stoke City are looking strong, even stronger with Nzonzi.
Hopefully, Steven Nzonzi can bring the experience and big-name swagger Stoke City needs to keep improving and eventually make their way back to the Premier League. A return that most football fans would be delighted to see.
In a time of City Groups, and Hollywood-funded Wrexhams, we all need more Stoke. We need more Nzonzi.
“Mesut Özil and Steven NZonzi (cropped)” by Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom is licensed under CC BY 2.0.