Mark Hughes' "real coup" prediction was wrong and Stoke City paid eight-figure price | OneFootball

Kevin Wimmer was talked up by Hughes upon his arrival in the Potteries, but proved to be a huge flop

Stoke City made numerous poor transfer decisions that led to their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, but none arguably more so than the eight-figure fee they splashed out to bring Austrian centre-back Kevin Wimmer to the club in August 2017.

Wimmer had been nothing more than a reliable squad player in his two seasons at Tottenham Hotspur after he had joined them from FC Koln in 2015, so it certainly raised eyebrows throughout English football when the Potters made him their second-most expensive signing in the club's history ahead of their 2017/18 top-flight campaign in a reported £18m deal.

Wimmer was massively praised by then-Stoke manager Mark Hughes upon his arrival in ST4, but as it turned out, he failed to live up to the lofty expectations that were set of him in red and white by the Manchester United legend.

The then-24-year-old failed to impress at all for the Potters as they endured a shock relegation in 2018, and did not even make an appearance in the second half of his debut season at the club, or in the three seasons that followed.

He eventually departed the club in 2021, after three loan spells away, and Hughes' initial prediction could probably not have been further from what actually happened during Wimmer's time at Stoke.

Mark Hughes' made a bold prediction for Kevin Wimmer at Stoke

Hughes aided Stoke's rise in the Premier League after taking over as boss from Tony Pulis, as he led his side to ninth-placed finishes in each of his first three seasons in charge, but the 2016/17 season saw a downturn to 13th, and so he moved to make key changes to his squad in the summer ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

Key players such as Glenn Whelan, Jon Walters and Marko Arnuatovic were allowed to leave, while Wimmer joined alongside the likes of Kurt Zouma and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, so Hughes clearly felt as if he was building a squad that was capable of returning the Potters to the top half of the Premier League.

The Stoke boss was adamant that Wimmer was a valuable addition to his ranks upon his arrival that August, and spoke glowingly to the club's official media about what he felt the Austrian would bring to the club.

He said: “Bringing Kevin here is a real coup in my view because he is a hugely talented young player who will undoubtedly add further quality to the group.

“Obviously this deal was with a view to the future…Kevin is our player now and we knew that this deal wouldn’t have been available to us this time next year.

“There is a lot of money being spent this summer, so for us to get a player of Kevin’s calibre through the door for the price we have paid, in my opinion, is something we will really appreciate for years to come.

“As soon as the possibility of bringing Kevin here presented itself to us we moved quickly on it, and have managed to get the deal done, so we are understandably delighted to have brought him in."

In another interview, he also added: “I think what people will see and appreciate really early on is Kevin’s quality on the ball and his outstanding range of passing.

“Of course, he is a big strong guy too, but he possesses a tremendous left foot and is able to play clever and intelligent balls into people’s feet, whether that be through the middle or on angles - he will certainly benefit us for years to come.”

Wimmer did not live up to those expectations at Stoke

There have been some poor signings made by the Potters in recent years, but Wimmer probably trumps the lot, based on the hefty fee paid to Spurs and his subsequent impact, or lack of, on their on-pitch fortunes.

He started the season playing relatively fine, as he featured in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United, and a 2-1 win over Southampton, but the Potters' form never even reached mid-table standard, and he was soon part of the backline that was decimated at the hands of Manchester City in a 7-2 drubbing, and then well-beaten by Spurs, West Ham, Chelsea, and the reverse fixture against the Red Devils.

Hughes was soon relieved of his duties in January 2018, as Paul Lambert was hired to rescue Stoke from the drop, and the Austrian was placed on a special fitness regime by the former Aston Villa boss in February after being deemed 'unfit to play in (his) high-octane, pressing style of football,' and relegated to the Potters' under-23s.

Wimmer did not play for Stoke's first team again, as they were soon relegated to the Championship, and reports emerged that they were prepared to take a substantial hit to sell him that summer, with apparent deep frustration in the boardroom after the club's hierarchy, were reluctant to pay such a huge fee, but Hughes was convinced that he would prove an outstanding signing.

He was loaned out to Hannover 96 for the 2018/19 season, but did not play enough matches to trigger a permanent transfer, then had further temporary spells at Belgian side Royal Excel Mouscron and German side Karlsruher SC over the next two years.

It was announced in May 2021 that Stoke had terminated his contract so he was able to move to Austrian side Rapid Wien on a free transfer, bringing his near four-year association with the club to an end, after barely making an impact for even six months.

Wimmer spoke about his time at Stoke in a 2022 interview with Transfermarkt and admitted that he "couldn’t really grasp" the fee that they paid for him in 2017, and was "shocked" at the difference in diet and professionalism at the club compared to Spurs.

It is fair to say that the Austrian centre-back is not fondly remembered by Stoke fans for his time at the club, and he never really came close to doing anything that Mark Hughes thought he would at the bet365 Stadium.