Austrian centre-half Kevin Wimmer’s switch to Stoke City from Tottenham Hotspur certainly didn’t go to plan.
Defender Kevin Wimmer has today joined Bundesliga side Hannover 96 on loan until the end of the 2018/19 season.
👉 https://t.co/F5cPfsyEGQ#SCFC 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/1cEVAj4NE7
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) May 27, 2018
Having joined us for a whopping £18million ahead of August’s deadline day in 2017, the 25-year-old went on to make only 16 starting appearances for us, and only 14 of those came in the Premier League itself.
A return of 19 showings for £18million in no way can be considered a great deal by anyone involved and irrespective of the numbers we had at the back, defensive injuries played a massive part in seeing us drop to the relegation zone and into the Championship for next season. Wimmer for his part last played in mid-January, despite subsequently returning to fitness.
As new manager, Gary Rowett begins making plans for the season ahead, Wimmer has become the first of many casualties you would think.
The club confirmed on Sunday that the international player had now left the club to join German side Hannover 96. The initial deal is a season-long loan spell until the end of the 2018/19 campaign, but there is a buy-clause included in the deal, so chances are he won’t be returning if he can get himself back on track.
Given the year we, and he had, the reactions of fans to the news has hardly been surprising.
Get in
— Luke???????????????????????????? (@ClinicalTyrese) May 27, 2018
— Christine Hughes (@Chris26Hughes) May 27, 2018
X fingers pic.twitter.com/E1bb1qdstG
— justin time (@justincook70) May 27, 2018
Build this man a statue #clublegend
— Olly Buxton (@OllyB90) May 27, 2018
Sam old stoke, buy a bunch of players then send them on loan!
— callum wagstaff (@Callum_wagstaff) May 27, 2018
Right. A Good start. I would still like to see the full post mortem on how and why we ever signed this player, why we ever felt he was worth 18MILLION and how the training and nutrition of such a costly asset was handled and overseen. Others must be to blame, not just Hughes.
— mark jackson (@marcusfcott) May 27, 2018
Credit where it’s due, they’ve acted pretty decisively there. Permanent would have been ideal, but after his ‘performances’ last season just to get him off the wage bill is a relief.
— matt (@butlerstreet) May 27, 2018
Good riddance
— Simon (@yyydelilah10) May 27, 2018
Don’t tempt fate!!
— adrian (@random_potter) May 27, 2018
Just seems a bit pointless to me bar getting some (can't see it being all) of his wages off the books
— bayernoatcake (@bayernoatcake2) May 27, 2018
Some did however see another element to the swift news.
The board know their part in this but will play it down with lip service and try to make amends by going full tilt at promotion next season. They’re making all the right noises up to yet about doing just that but saying it and doing it are very different things.
— Simon Deakin (@deakin366) May 27, 2018
