Stoke's Jese Rodriguez AWOL After Trip to Visit Sick Baby Son
Jese Rodriguez short and troubled stint with Stoke City is set to come to an abrupt end after he failed to report for training on Wednesday, angering a host of club officials.
The Paris Saint-Germain loanee was granted leave on compassionate grounds to care for his sick baby boy in Spain, but he failed to show for his expected return to the club on Wednesday and offered no communication as to his change of plans.
The 25-year-old's absence has compounded the Potters' woes this season as manager Paul Lambert continues to fight against the odds and propel the club to safety, a feat growing more and more unlikely by the day as they are four points adrift with just five games remaining.
According to the Telegraph, Stoke know Jese is in his homeland but are unaware of his exact location, all but affirming his absence from Lambert's plans for the remainder of the season as the manager looks to take no risks in unsettling his squad.
With Stoke in a precarious predicament over their Premier League future, Lambert is understood to be prepared to take a hard line stance on the midfielder which is also set to see him become the latest player to be punished with a fine, joining the likes of Saido Berahino, Erik Pieters, and Ibrahim Afellay after their respective show of indiscipline.
The Stoke hierarchy are understood to support Lambert's form of discipline whilst members of the squad are also in agreement over a long overdue form of accountability and code of conduct.
Jese has failed to make an appearance for Stoke since coming on as a substitute in the final 11 minutes in the club's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Everton in March, taking his total tally of outings for the Potters to 13.
The former Real Madrid man's season-long deal deal from PSG, worth in the region of £6.75m, has raised a number of eyebrows over the club's recruitment strategy as he has failed to live up to expectations and has even found himself on the wrong side of his teammates.
