Stoke City chief makes surprise Wouter Burger financial claim after transfer exit | OneFootball

The Dutch midfielder has been sold to Bundesliga club Hoffenheim.

Stoke City have said that they've made a "substantial profit" from the sale of Wouter Berger.

The Dutch midfielder has joined German side Hoffenheim on a permanent deal just two summers on from his arrival at the bet£^% stadium.

A report from The Telegraph's John Percy claimed that Burger was being sold for between €4-5 million (~ £3.5-4.3 million). That higher end of the scale is what the Potters roughly paid Basel FC to sign the 24-year-old in 2023, as per the Stoke Sentinel.

Stoke make surprise Wouter Burger sale claim

This seeming sideways transfer move, generating no profit from one of the club's most promising players, caused some frustration among supporters.

Stoke, however, claim that this isn't the case. Their sporting director, Jon Walters, said, in the statement confirming Burger's departure, that the Potters got back more than what they initially paid for the former Netherlands under-21 international.

"As was widely reported at the time, we turned down an offer for Wouter on deadline day in January which he was keen to pursue, as it wasn’t right for the club to let the transfer happen at that time," Walters stated.

"I had open and honest conversations with Wouter throughout and I thank him for the professionalism he showed in playing an important part for us during the latter stages of last season.

"Following further conversations with Wouter and his agent this summer, with the player having expressed a desire to play in the Bundesliga and with Hoffenheim having made an acceptable offer that represents a substantial profit for the club, we have decided not to stand in his way.

"Wouter departs with our thanks for his efforts in a Stoke City shirt and with the best wishes of everyone at the Club for his future career."

Wouter Burger transfer still has a strange feel to it, even with club clarity

Across his Stoke career, the midfielder played 86 times for the club. The supporters' love for him was often reflected in their Player of the Month voting; Burger won multiple of these awards across his two-year stint at the bet365 Stadium.

He was one of many arrivals at the club in that 2023 summer window. Many of them didn't turn out to be successful, but Burger certainly did, which was what made the initial reaction to the sale news, and the money that they were reportedly going to get for him, so much worse.

It's not the actual departure itself that cuts deep, it's the possibility that Stoke haven't maximised the talent that they had at their fingertips. This top-flight-level player has left for, what, less than £5 million?

Now, we have to take Walters and co at their word, but things still don't seem to fully add up with this one.