Exclusive: Don Goodman reacts to "very disappointing" Stoke City transfer news | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman reveals his thoughts on the transfer exclusively to FLW

Highly-rated Stoke City midfielder Sol Sidibe is set to join PSV Eindhoven, with the 18-year-old choosing the Dutch champions over several other European clubs.

Born in Paris, Sidibe joined Stoke's academy at just eight years old, and attracted reported interest from the likes of Chelsea, Rangers, AC Milan and Lille before PSV secured his signature.

The son of former Potter Mamady Sidibe, Sol definitely has football in his blood. His father scored 26 goals in 186 appearances for Stoke between 2005 and 2013 - helping the club achieve promotion to the top-flight in 2008.

As per Fabrizio Romano, Sidibe's contract in Eindhoven will be for four years, and he's expected to complete a medical soon.

Stoke City would have hoped for "much more" from Sidibe

Speaking exclusively to FLW about the transfer, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman rightly says the Potters will be disappointed in seeing the young midfielder leave the bet365 Stadium for the Netherlands.

"If Sol Sidibe does leave Stoke and go to PSV Eindhoven it is going to be very disappointing," Goodman told FLW.

"This is a young player, who is only 18, full of potential and that’s clearly what PSV Eindhoven are hoping to nurture," he added.

Sidibe made his professional debut aged just 16 years and 176 days old against Rotherham United in August 2023, becoming the Staffordshire outfit's second-youngest player to appear in a league game.

Goodman believes the Potters will be disheartened at the fact Sidibe is jumping ship this early, telling FLW, "Stoke City would have hoped that he would have played a much bigger role this coming season."

The reported fee that Sidibe will be leaving for is £2m, as per The Stoke Sentinal.

"So, it’s a blow, yes, disappointing - but hopefully for him, it works out, and he gets to start an awful lot of games in the Eredivisie," Goodman concluded.

PSV's "project" swayed Sidibe

Romano confirmed that PSV beat competition from several top Premier League clubs precisely because "Sidibe trusts the project."

The Eredivisie champions have built their recent success on the backbone of youth development, and have a special policy that has been "reinforced" since 2013 that focuses on helping transition youngsters to the first team.

It can be argued that Sidibe's journey - from joining Stoke's academy at such a young age, making his first-team debut, and leaving for a 'bigger' club - mirrors a common challenge that faces any lower-league club in retaining their best young talent.

For example, Derby County have seen both Liam Delap and Omari Kellyman leave their academy setup in recent years, to Manchester City and Aston Villa respectively.

Both of these are now at Chelsea, who paid £30m and £19m for the pair - and you could expect that Sidibe could collect a similar huge fee if he progresses well at PSV.

There's no question that the transfer leaves Stoke fans wondering about their club's ability to retain their best prospects, particularly as other academy graduates may look at Sidibe's move and consider similar opportunities abroad.

While Goodman acknowledged the obvious disappointment surrounding the move for Stoke, his hope that Sidibe will flourish in the Eredivisie may mirror that of the fans, who'd be expected to keep a close eye on how he performs.