Young Manchester City striker Divin Mubama has left the club on loan and will spend the campaign with Championship side Stoke City.
Divin Mubama scored on his Manchester City debut against Salford City
Manchester City striker Divin Mubama will get his first taste of regular senior football after he joined Championship side Stoke City on a season-long loan.
The 20-year-old joined City's academy from West Ham for £2million last summer and scored on his senior debut in the 8-0 FA Cup third-round win against Salford City at the Etihad. Mubama also made his Premier League debut for the club when he came off the bench for the final 27 minutes of the 6-0 win at Ipswich.
Mubama enjoyed an excellent season in Premier League 2, scoring 10 goals and creating four more in nine appearances in the league phase before then hitting six goals in four games in the play-offs as the Blues won the title.
The youngster was keen to get the move sorted in time to spend a full pre-season with the Potters.
“Stoke City is a massive club, I’m excited to be here and determined to work hard, score goals and do everything I can to help the team," he said.
“It’s important to me that we’ve got it done early so I can focus on getting a full pre-season, learning what the manager wants and how the team plays, and making connections with my fellow players.
“Our fans can expect me to be very hungry, both for goals and for hard work, playing with huge determination to repay the faith people have shown in me.
“For me as a striker, of course it’s about scoring, but it’s also about playing with intensity, getting the crowd going and leading from the front. That’s what the club’s fans can expect from me, and I can’t wait to get going.”
Mubama follows in the footsteps of Liam Delap, who also made his first loan move from City's academy to lead the line for Stoke City, although he scored just three goals in 22 games in the Championship.
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Stoke sporting director Jonathan Walters added: "Having already been aware of Divin’s talent and ability, as soon as we knew about his availability, we wanted to act swiftly and decisively to bring him to Stoke City.
“To sign Divin so early within our pre-season – able to play in our matches, build relationships with his teammates and generate tactical awareness of the way we play – is hugely positive.
“We know how lethal he can be in front of goal, and he’s also someone with the desire and work ethic to put in the hard yards for the team, which is exactly what our supporters love to see.”
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