Manchester City striker completes Championship loan transfer | OneFootball

Hugo Viana and Manchester City have finalised a season-long loan agreement for highly-rated striker talent Divin Mubama ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 20-year-old joined Manchester City’s academy ranks from West Ham in the summer of 2024 and has made quite the impression across the club’s youth sides since he swapped east London for Manchester.

Mubama scored on his full senior Manchester City debut in a 8-0 rout of Salford City in the FA Cup in January. However, a potential spot in Guardiola’s ranks seems unlikely for the Englishman despite his first-team heroics in the presence of Erling Haaland.

Julian Alvarez joined Atletico Madrid for £82 million last summer, with Manchester City only adding Omar Marmoush to their attacking ranks in January as they look to kickstart a new era under Guardiola after a sub-standard 2024-25 campaign.

Haaland was burdened with an overwhelming share of the goalscoring burden last season and despite the 24-year-old Norwegian’s impressive tally of 38 goals in all competitions, City could always do with another centre-forward.

Goals have dried up in the attacking areas for the Blues, who have seen the likes of Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish struggle for goals. Phil Foden was not at his usual best for much of last season, with a bleak contribution to the scoresheet from midfield as well.

Marmoush has provided some hope of the burden alleviating from Haaland, who played a heavy chunk of minutes last season and fell prey to an ankle injury in Manchester City’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth in March.

City have added Rayan Cherki to their attack this summer and there is an internal hope at the club that Foden will be back to his best next season as Guardiola and co prepare for life beyond Kevin De Bruyne, who was not given a contract renewal as he approached the end of his final deal at the Etihad Stadium and has since joined Napoli on a free transfer.

As confirmed by all parties on Saturday, Manchester City have agreed to send striker talent Divin Mubama on loan to Championship side Stoke City for the duration of the upcoming 2025/26 campaign.

Mubama has been linked with a season-long loan away from the City Football Academy (CFA) in recent months and a year at the bet365 Stadium will give the young forward an ideal platform to progress his career with regular first-team minutes.

City have routinely allowed promising academy stars to go out on loan and seek senior opportunities in the EFL Championship and the Premier League to step outside the comfort of the City Football Academy in recent years.

Liam Delap represents the best example of a young Manchester City academy graduate who tested himself across clubs in England on loan and is now reaping the rewards – having earned a £30 million transfer to Chelsea in June following a breakthrough 2024-25 campaign at Ipswich Town.