Stoke City have strengthened their squad with the high-profile additions of Ferencvaros forward Ryan Mmaee and Aston Villa striker Wesley Moraes.
With the Potters only finishing in 16th position in the Championship last season, Alex Neil is under pressure to lead a revival in what is likely to be a stronger second tier.
In anticipation of that, Stoke have gone on a signing spree, making eight notable additions before they announced their biggest deal of the summer on Friday night for an undisclosed fee.
Mmaee has starred for Ferencvaros over the past two campaigns, contributing a total of 32 goals and 15 assists from 73 appearances for the Hungarian giants.
The 12-cap Morocco international missed out on a place in their 2022 World Cup squad, yet the 25-year-old arrives at the bet365 Stadium with the potential to help improve Stoke's fortunes.
The #Mmaeestro arrives... 💫 pic.twitter.com/PjRUUEgSc6
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) July 28, 2023
Technical director Ricky Martin told the club's official website: "Having tracked Ryan for a period of time, we know that he has been on the radar of several clubs in England and across Europe, which makes it all the more pleasing that we have been able to attract him to Stoke City.
"Ryan is a full international and fits our belief in recruiting players who have played important roles in successful teams, having won back-to-back titles with Ferencvaros. He played regularly in the Europa League last season too, so he brings pedigree, experience and ability to our forward line."
Meanwhile, Stoke have also handed Aston Villa striker Wesley an opportunity to revive his career in the Championship.
In 2019-20, the Brazilian netted five times in 21 appearances for Villa before a serious knee injury curtailed his progress.
© Reuters
Since then, spells have been spent on loan at Club Brugge, Internacional and Levante, the 26-year-old playing 43 times for the latter during 2022-23.
Wesley said: "I had a very positive six months in the Premier League with Aston Villa before my injury and I now see this move to Stoke City as a great opportunity for me to show my best football in England.
"Last season, I played a lot for Levante in Spain, which was great for me to get back to 100% so I am now ready to go here at Stoke City. I spoke to my representatives about the fresh project here at Stoke and we collectively decided this is the best place for me to join."
Mmaee and Wesley will now compete with fellow forwards Jacob Brown, Tyrese Campbell and Dwight Gayle for a place in the final third.
Darren Plant
