Stoke City’s loaned out midfielder Giannelli Imbula now features in La Liga.
Stoke City-owned midfielder Giannelli Imbula played the full 90 minutes for Rayo Vallecano Saturday, and they were minutes away from puling off a famous result against La Liga giants Barcelona.
The 26-year-old joined the Potters, then managed by Mark Hughes, on a five-and-a-half-year deal in January 2016, but after struggling to make an impact he has since become a forgotten man.
Imbula spent last season out on loan at French side Toulouse, making 28 appearances, and after Stoke’s relegation to the Championship he moved out on loan again – with Rayo Vallecano last August.
The Madrid-based minnows are back in the top-flight following their promotion to La Liga last term, but so far they’ve struggled to bridge the gap in quality and they currently lie in the bottom three.
Many expected Barcelona to turn up and crush them. On their previous five visits to Vallecano, Barca had netted 23 goals, which included a 7-0 win back in 2012. After Luis Suarez’s opener in the first five minutes, a similar score-line could have been on the cards Saturday.
But the Spanish minnows fought back and in the second half they stunned the visitors by taking the lead. Imbula was at the heart of their midfield, recording an 85% pass-accuracy rate and taking three shots (Whoscored).
Barcelona, however, equalised through Ousmane Dembele with just three minutes to go to deny Vallecano a famous victory – and then Barcelona cruelly found a stoppage-time winner, with Suarez bagging his second.
While Imbula’s Stoke career is all-but over, he still has two-and-a-half years left on his deal and the Potters will be hoping he makes an impression in Spain which could alert potential suitors to make a bid next summer.
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