Stoke City Confirm the Signing of Congolese Striker Benik Afobe

Stoke City have confirmed the signing of former Wolves and Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe, making the striker the Potters' second signing in 24 hours, as revealed in a statement on the club website.

The Championship club have confirmed the Congolese striker is set to move to the club on a loan basis, although the deal stipulates the club have an obligation to buy the 25-year-old forward on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee in January 2019.

Afobe spent the second half of the 2017/18 season on loan with Wolves, scoring six goals in 16 games as Nuno Espírito Santo's men gained promotion to the Premier League, passing Stoke on the way.

Subsequently, new Potters' boss Gary Rowett viewed the Congo international as an ideal candidate to help his side achieve promotion back to the Premier League on the first attempt.

Speaking on the new signing, Rowett said: “If there’s one signing you want to make to get you out of the Championship Benik is that kind of player.

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“He’s an excellent character and at 25 he has bags of potential but has already shown what he’s all about by scoring a lot of goals. He fits the profile of how I want to play in terms of pace, athleticism, flexibility and he certainly has an eye for a goal.

“The club have worked incredibly hard to make the signings of Benik and [Oghenekaro] Etebo happen and I think it shows how quickly we want to hit the ground running and the type of players we want to bring to the Club. Getting those two in the building is a fantastic start.”

Also revealing his thoughts on Stoke's acquisition of Afobe was Chief Executive Tony Scholes, who said: “Benik’s pedigree speaks for itself and he’s joining us at a time when he’s full of confidence having played a key role in helping Wolves secure promotion to the Premier League.

“He will be an excellent addition to our squad as we look to secure a return to the Premier League as soon as possible.”