OFFICIAL: Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony joins Stoke City on loan

Wilfried Bony will not play for Manchester City this season, as the Ivorian striker is headed to Stoke City on loan.

Bony failed to impress at City after being signed from Swansea City for £25 million back in 2016. Pep Guardiola came into the team and made clear that Wilfried was not part of his plans, and plenty of teams showed interest in taking Bony on loan for the season.

West Ham United looked likely a week ago, but after Stoke came in and offered Bony the chance to start for the Potters, he made up his mind and decided to join Mark Hughes' side. Bony's new manager spoke about his new signing:

“Bringing Wilfried in was a no-brainer for us to be perfectly honest, because he knows the Premier League and has scored plenty of goals at this level.

“He has power, speed and very good physical attributes which will undoubtedly help us, and his technical and finishing skills are outstanding too.

“Eighteen months ago he was being bought for a hugely significant amount of money, so we know that we are bringing in a top quality striker.

“Everybody is aware of Wilfried and what he is capable of, and it was no surprise that one of the bigger clubs came in for him on the back of his performances for Swansea - the only surprise has been that he didn’t enjoy the success with Manchester City that we all thought he would.”

Source: StokeCityFC.com

Bony sent out a tweet after completing the deal, thanking the City fans and looking forward to his new chapter:

Thanks, Bony!