Sobhi looks a top fit for Town squad
glimpses of real skill and it just felt like he needed to work on his final ball and decision making. Over the course of his second season he seemed to have lost confidence to take on a defender.
He seemed to be developing a habit for getting in goalscoring positions at one point... but he was in a poor team which was set up poorly and didn’t stand out.
What are Sobhi’s strengths and weaknesses?
His footwork is great if he can get his mojo back. That shouldn’t be a problem, he’s still only 21.
He’s never going to be fast and his crossing and goal threat needs to improve immeasurably. There’s no reason why it won’t with a good coach.
How was his relationship with the fans?
He’s been pretty popular actually, with fans and teammates despite hardly being able to speak a word in English.
I’d like to say his appreciation for that was shown when he went berserk after scoring, getting booked for whipping off his shirt and jumping into supporters two games in a row. What is he like as a character? A good egg by all accounts. There was a divide in Stoke’s changing room last season but no-one had anything bad to say about Ramadan on or off the pitch. What’s his style of play? He’s hard working. We were warned about his defensive contribution when he joined from Egyptian pundits but that’s never really been an issue. Two years on he needs to play with more freedom going forward.
He’s at his best when he’s running into the box with a full-back panicking... and you’re on the edge of your seat.
David Wagner’s side relies on players pulling their weight defensively - does Ramadan do that?
Yeah, he doesn’t shirk his workload. He’s not a left-back or a wing-back - brief experiments did not go well - but he’ll track back when required. It’ll be interesting to see him in a team which has a strong game plan.
Will Stoke fans be sad to see him leave?
Egyptian fans - and there are a lot of them who get involved in any Ramadan Sobhi discussions on social media - had pretty much promised an African George Best so he was never going to live up to that hype.