FLW examines the best paid player for Stoke City over the previous eight seasons.
Stoke City has found life in the Championship to be more challenging than anticipated since its relegation from the Premier League in 2018.
Many predicted that the Potters would easily win the division during the 2018–19 campaign, but they suffered mightily, and now, over six years later, the team is fighting just to stay in the division.
| Stoke City’s league finishes since relegation from the Premier League | |
|---|---|
| Season | Finish |
| 2018/19 | 16th |
| 2019/20 | 15th |
| 2020/21 | 14th |
| 2021/22 | 14th |
| 2022/23 | 16th |
Despite being backed by the wealthy Coates family, Stoke have been unable to mount any semblance of a promotion push since relegation from the Premier League, and they have shown that spending large sums of money on player wages doesn’t always equate to success.
Wilfried Bony is Stoke’s estimated highest earner over the past 8 seasons
It must be stressed that Capology uses estimates rather than being 100% accurate, but it still gives us a good insight into player wages.
According to Capology, Wilfried Bony’s weekly wage of £100,000 makes him Stoke’s highest paid player over the last 8 years.
| Stoke City’s highest paid players from the last 8 seasons – Capology | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Player | Wage |
| 2016/17 | Wilfried Bony | £100,000 |
| 2017/18 | Saido Berahino | £80,000 |
| 2018/19 | Mame Diouf | £65,000 |
| 2019/20 | Mame Diouf | £65,000 |
| 2020/21 | Joe Allen | £57,500 |
| 2021/22 | Joe Allen | £57,500 |
| 2022/23 | Axel Tuanzebe | £50,000 |
| 2023/24 | Ki-Jana Hoever | £40,385 |
Bony joined the Potters on loan from Manchester City for the 2016-17 season, so it remains to be seen how the wages were split, but regardless of how much Stoke contributed, they certainly didn’t get value for money.
The Ivorian striker’s move to the Bet365 Stadium came with high expectations after a spell at Swansea City which saw him become one of the best strikers in English football.
His time at The Etihad had seen him used sparingly, but that was understandable given the quality and their disposal and there was still excitement at Stoke when his signing was announced.
However, Bony’s time at the Potters proved an absolute disaster for a number of reasons.
In total, Bony made just 11 appearances for the club, scoring just two goals, which both came in the same game against former club Swansea as the Potters recorded a 3-1 win.
He started just nine games for the club, and didn’t feature in a matchday squad for the club from February onwards after falling out favour under manager Mark Hughes.
This meant that despite being paid an estimated £100,000 a week, Bony wasn’t even involved in a single squad from February onwards.
The striker’s one season at Stoke will always be remembered as an absolute disaster and a complete waste of money.
Wilfried Bony’s career since leaving Stoke City
Bony has enjoyed what you’d call a nomadic career since leaving the Potters.
It began with a permanent move back to Swansea, but the player struggled with injuries and was unable to find the form he’d shown during his first spell in South Wales.
A loan move to Qatari side Al-Arabi followed in January 2019, before he was released by the Swans.
Bony then signed for Saudi Premier League club Al-Ittihad in 2020, before leaving the club later that year.
He was then without a club for over a year, often training with League Two side Newport County, as he was still living in Swansea and looked to remain fit.
He did find a new team in January 2022, joining the Dutch team NEC Nijmegen, but injuries would plague him for the rest of his career, limiting his playing time to only one game.
Before signing a contract with Bolivian team Always Ready, he kept up his training with Newport County and even scored the game-winning goal in a development match against Swindon Town in December 2022.
Later that year, Bony departed Always Ready and is once more a free agent.
It’s a far cry from his £100,000 a week days at Stoke, and at 35, it’s unclear if he’ll ever lace on his boots.
