"I'm not surprised" - Claim made on Ryan Mmaee's Stoke City situation | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Ryan Mmaee has been training with Stoke City's U-21 side following a disciplinary issue at the club, but the striker has been handed an opportunity to return to the fold by Steven Schumacher.

The striker moved to Stoke with a strong reputation in the summer after scoring 32 goals and notching 15 assists in 73 appearances for Ferencvaros and started every game for the club during their 2022/23 Europa League campaign.

However, since joining the Potters, Mmaee has made just 23 appearances, scoring four times and registering three assists, after moving from the Hungarian giants.

Despite how active the Potters have been in recent transfer windows, the club are having a difficult season. Made particularly more surprising with the club being one of the more financially stable ones in the division thanks to the backing of the Coates family.

They have failed to finish above 14th since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, and the club looked to rectify that with a raft of signings during the summer.

One of Stoke's 20 signings was the Moroccan striker. Mmaee made the move in July for a reported fee of £3.4 million, signing a three-year deal at The bet365 Stadium.

disciplinary reasons.

He played 90 minutes in their most recent Premier League 2 fixture in a 3-1 loss to Liverpool's U-21 side, albeit he did not score or assist for the youth side.

The verdict on Ryan Mmaee

FLW's Stoke City fan pundit Ben Rowley does not want to give up on the 26-year-old Belgian-born player, who he believes can have a big impact on the side if things behind the scenes can be resolved.

"Ryan Mmaee isn't the first player that we've had at Stoke with disciplinary issues.

"We've had so many of them in the past that it's derailed our season, so I'm not surprised Steven Schumacher is intent on stamping out any discontent in the squad straight away.

"However, it appears to have been addressed in a very different way, with Schumacher opening the door back up to Mmaee if he's able to get his head straight and able to work hard for the team. "Mmaee himself has come out with a statement saying he wants to prove himself to Stoke fans and ultimately with Schumacher that he can right his wrongs and play well for Stoke. "That's completely different and why I'm glad we haven't sold him in the January transfer window.

"That's because he is a good player and I think Stoke would play better with him in the team.

"He may just be getting used to the new demands of Schumacher, who he may not have been pleased with at first, but if he's willing to knuckle down and deliver what Schumacher wants, then it's only a boost for this Stoke team.

"I don't think think it's through any bad will that this disciplinary issue has happened and let's hope they can now get over it."

Stoke's survival hopes

Given Stoke's precarious position just above the relegation places, they are in need of all hands on deck at the moment.

Not many players within their ranks have had a record in front of goal quite like Mmaee, despite him not hitting the ground running for the club so far.

He is still the most prolific goalscorer within their ranks, and a threat, even if adaptation to Championship football has taken some time so far.