Stoke City new signing impressed scouts so much they thought deal was no-go

Eric Bocat impressed Stoke City scouts so much that they didn’t think they’d be able to get him to the club this summer.

Left-back Bocat, aged 24, has joined Stoke from Sint-Truidense VV for an undisclosed fee believed to be just north of £1 million, having been watched closely by Stoke hero and recruitment analyst Mama Sidibe, who has an in-depth knowledge of Belgian and French football.

He was wanted by Trabzonspor in January and was linked with Leicester City as they challenged for promotion to the Premier League – but it was Stoke who were able to get a deal over the line, with Bocat signing a four-year contract.

Steven Schumacher said: “Mama went out to watch him a couple of times live and when he went he didn’t think we’d be able to sign him. He thought he would go higher. That shows how good of a deal we’ve managed to do to get him here.

“He’s a player who’s got huge potential. He’s been playing over in Belgium, a French boy but speaks really good English.

“He’s got a really good understanding of the game and I was able to sit with him and explain tactically exactly what we want.