It will be no surprise if 2023 Stoke City signing is a wanted man this summer: View

Bae Jun-ho has proved to be a bright spot in a torrid campaign for Stoke City

•  Bae Jun-ho has been a standout player in an otherwise disappointing season for relegation-threatened Stoke City.
•  The South Korean midfielder has exceeded expectations with impressive stats and performances.
•  At just 20 years old, Jun-ho’s potential has attracted attention from clubs across Europe, making his future uncertain.
• It’s been a dismal campaign for Stoke City with few positives.
• The club are in the relegation zone and are in grave danger of dropping down to the third-tier of English football for the first time since 2002.

  Stoke have made an incredible 25 signings across the two transfer windows this season, and the majority of signings have underwhelmed at The bet365 Stadium, leading the club to the predicament that they’re in now.

  However, there is one notable exception and that is the club’s South Korean midfielder, Bae Jun-ho.

  The 20-year-old attacker was an unknown quantity when he arrived on these shores in the summer from K League side Daejeon Hana Citizen, but he’s become a standout performer for the club and looks set to play a vital role in trying to keep the club in the division.

  Bae Jun-ho’s 2023/24 season at Stoke City

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• When Stoke City announced the signing of the South Korean youth international, the majority of Potters’ supporters would have had no idea who the player was, but he quickly proved his worth and became a regular feature in the squad.

  The former K League star has certainly surpassed expectations at the club and was a rare shining light from Ricky Martin’s reign as Sporting Director.

  Bae has played 29 games for the club so far this season, 26 of them being in the Championship, with 15 of those being starts.

  He scored his first goal for the club in their most recent game against Cardiff City, although it was in vain as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to put them into the Championship bottom three for the first time.

• He’s also registered three assists in the Championship this season, and has started to become a fan favourite at The bet365 Stadium thanks to his performances.
• According to Fotmob, Bae is outperforming his expected assists with 3 from an expected rate of 2.81, although he is underperforming when it comes to expected goals, with just one goal from an xG of 2.13.

  He has a pass accuracy of 81.9%, a dribble success rate of 49% and has 46 touches in the opposition box this season.

• Bae Jun-ho could be a wanted man this summer

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• At just 20-years-old, Bae has impressed this season and clubs across Europe will have taken note of that.

  Everyone knows that the Championship is a physically demanding league, and he’s had no problems with acclimatising to that.

  The South Korean star is clearly a technically gifted player and plenty of clubs would have taken note of how he’s impressed in a poor Stoke side.

• If the club are relegated to League One, then you’d have thought he’d be a certainty to leave, and with a contract at the club until the summer of 2027, you’d imagine the Potters could command a decent fee for the player.

  However, even if they were to remain a Championship club, you’d have thought there could be clubs who would test the waters with a bid for the player.

• The player is only going to get better with age and clubs may look to sign him, develop him and sell him on for more money in the future.

  Bae Jun-ho was a rare bright spot from Stoke’s recent poor recruitment, and he’ll play a big role in the remainder of the season for the Potters.

  Stoke supporters should make the most of it as there are no guarantees that he’ll still be at the club next season.