£22m Aston Villa signing is not having a good time at Stoke City: View | OneFootball

Wesley’s move to the Stoke City from Aston Villa last summer was seen as something of a coup for the Championship club at the time, but nine months on, many Potters fans must be counting down the days until his contract ends.

The Brazilian striker penned a one-year deal at the bet365 Stadium in July, bringing a four year association with the Villans to an end as he made the move to Staffordshire.

Having spent the previous season out on loan at Levante in Spain’s Segunda Division, the powerful forward looked to be regaining some of the early form from his days at Villa Park before a cruciate ligament injury ruled him out for over a year.

But a goalless season in the Potteries has seen him draw a blank in each of his 23 appearances in all competitions, with Stoke fans left yearning for what could have been from the Brazilian frontman.

Wesley’s four years in the wilderness

Things looked so promising for the striker when he made the move to the Midlands-based side back in 2019, with a £22 million price tag testament to his dominant performances for Club Brugge in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League.

A 2018/19 season that saw him grab 13 goals in 38 league appearances - as well as two goals in the Champions League against AS Monaco - was when clubs over Europe began to take notice of the frontman, before he hit the ground running once making the move to Villa Park.

Four goals in his first eight Premier League games must have had Villa fans buzzing over the early performances of their recent recruit, before not finding the net again until New Year’s Day 2020 in a 2-1 victory over Burnley.

And that is where disaster struck for the Brazilian, who suffered a ligament injury that ruled him out for the rest of the year and beyond; with his return to first team football coming some 15 months later in April 2021.

A return to Club Brugge followed the next season to regain some form, before moving back to his homeland with Brazilian side Internacional; although he mustered just a single goal in either of his loan spells.

Another temporary switch to Levante followed last year where he plundered four goals in his 43 appearances for the club, before returning to England to sign for the Potters on a permanent deal last summer.

The figures behind Wesley’s dismal season at Stoke City

Wesley started the season as something of a regular in the Stoke City lineup, with Alex Neil partnering the big man with Tyrese Campbell up top, although the goals weren’t flowing for either of the pair as the Potters’ form began to dwindle.

With Neil being shown the door midway through the campaign, his replacement Steven Schumacher has been less keen to utilise the Brazilian since he took over the reins in December; with January recruit Niall Ennis among those restricting him to just three appearances in the calendar year.

A look at FBRef is bleak reading for Wesley; with 0 goals and 0 assists this season from his 879 minutes on the field, and just a total of five progressive carries further highlighting how ineffectual his time in red and white has been.

With his contract coming to an end in the summer, the 12-month deal was probably seen as one last throw of the dice for both club and player and it is a deal that has majorly backfired.

With Stoke looking over the shoulders at the relegation zone and Schumacher fearing for his job, he has called in trusted players like former Plymouth Argyle players Ennis and Luke Cundle to do the business in front of goal, meaning the sight of the big Brazilian will be less and less likely as the season continues.