Wilfried Bony’s (£7.3million) season-long loan move to Stoke City looks an intriguing deal for Mark Hughes and Fantasy Premier League managers.
Handed only 13 starts by Manuel Pellegrini in 2015/16, Bony’s lack of pitch time saw him produce four goals and as many assists for Manchester City last term.
Having failed to play a single minute in Man City’s first three matches under Pep Guardiola, the Ivory Coast striker's switch to the bet365 stadium affords him the chance to reignite his FPL potential.
A look back to Bony’s first season in the Premier League highlights his capabilities.
Arriving at Swansea City in the summer of 2013/14, he blossomed as a lone striker for the Welsh club, racking up 17 goals and four assists on his way to a 158-point haul.
Bony continued that form at the start of the following campaign, producing nine goals and two assists in 20 league appearances before signing for Man City in January 2015.
The striker possesses the power, pace and hold-up play to link well with midfield trio Marko Arnautovic (£7.4m), Bojan (£6.0m) and Xherdan Shaqiri (£6.4m) in the Potters’ 4-2-3-1 set-up.
Hughes has generally struggled for a regular source of goals from up top, with Mame Biram Diouf (£5.9m), Jon Walters (£5.9m) and Peter Crouch (£4.9m) all tried and tested.
Indeed, despite of a ninth-place finish in 2015/16, Stoke found the net on 41 occasions and managed only 126 shots on target, better than only West Bromwich Albion and relegated duo Norwich City and Aston Villa.
A proven Premier League talent, Bony now has the international break to help boost his fitness levels before domestic action resumes with a home encounter against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 10 September.
Following that, the Potters embark on a promising run of fixtures that could bring their key attackers into consideration.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ranking (FDR) system introduced to Fantasy Premier League this season, Stoke are given an FDR score of two or less in eight of their 10 matches between Gameweeks 5 and 14.
This hands them encounters with Crystal Palace, West Brom, Sunderland, Hull City, Swansea City, AFC Bournemouth, Watford and Burnley over that period.
Only trips to Manchester United and West Ham United in Gameweeks 7 and 11 are deemed as less favourable by the FDR.
If, as expected, Bony cements a place in Hughes’ first XI, the schedule hands him the perfect opportunity to play his way into FPL managers’ plans.