Analysis: The Stoke City Barcelona Pipeline
Second is Mark Hughes himself. The manager had an exceptional career as a forward with stints at Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Bayern Munich, and FC Barcelona. Mark Hughes’ reputation is not lost on Stoke City’s executives or scouted players.
Their chief executive, Tony Scholes, has stated how Mark Hughes’ career with some of Europe’s top clubs has turned him into Stoke City’s “secret weapon” in player negotiations. Hughes played an instrumental role in starting the Stoke City-FC Barcelona pipeline through his convincing Bojan to join the Staffordshire side in 2013.
Mark Hughes’ ability to sit with players, relate to their experiences with the Catalan club and establish how they will fit into the squad prior to them signing has been praised by Potters Bojan and Muniesa.
Scholes also spoke about how the change in Stoke’s reputation on and off the pitch changed upon the arrival of Mark Hughes. Stoke City chairman, Peter Coates, attributes Mark Hughes’ history as a player and his football philosophy to attracting players from other major clubs in a way Tony Pulis could not.
Next: 3. Stoke's Squad