Plymouth Argyle fans may be surprised at Maksym Talovierov's situation at Stoke City right now | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle supporters will be shocked at how Maksym Talovierov's Stoke City career is going.

Plymouth Argyle supporters may be shocked with Maksym Talovierov's current situation at Stoke City.

After finishing just two points above the relegation zone last term, the Potters have enjoyed a largely successful start to the 2025/26 campaign, which sees them positioned fifth in the standings after nine matches.

Stoke trail league leaders Coventry City by just four points and have shown extremely promising signs this far, with Mark Robins’ side putting together consistently strong performances.

That hasn’t been the case for many years at the bet365 Stadium, with the Potters still yet to finish above 14th in the Championship since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

Plenty of talented managers have tried to make things work for Stoke during that time, but Nathan Jones, Michael O'Neill and Alex Neil all failed at that task.

Robins looks to have provided the antidote, however, and has got players such as Million Manhoef and Sorba Thomas operating at an extremely high level.

Plymouth Argyle supporters will be shocked at Maksym Talovierov’s Stoke City career thus far

One player he hasn’t managed to fit into his team yet is Maksym Talovierov, who signed for the Potters from Plymouth Argyle in the summer for £1.7 million.

Talovierov was brought into Stoke City to help bolster their backline, but the 25-year-old is still yet to make a Championship appearance for his new club.

A hamstring injury in pre-season hasn’t done him any favours in that regard, but the defender has been available for selection for a number of weeks now.

His only appearance for the Potters thus far came during their 3-0 League Cup defeat against Bradford City in August, with the centre-back named as an unused substitute in the six league fixtures since then.

Ben Wilmot and Bosun Lawal have started the majority of the Potters' Championship contests this season, with Ashley Phillips the preferred deputy.

With all this in mind, it seems increasingly tough to see where Talovierov fits into Robins’ defensive plans, which will come as extremely surprising news to Plymouth Argyle supporters.

The Ukrainian signed for the Pilgrims in January from Austrian outfit LASK and impressed immediately with his committed performances.

His debut came in a committed home win against West Bromwich Albion, but his second match at Home Park impressed the nation watching on.

Premier League leaders Liverpool arrived in Plymouth for an FA Cup fourth-round tie, with many expecting Arne Slot’s side to walk over the second-tier strugglers.

Instead, Argyle pulled off a major upset, besting the Reds 1-0. Talovierov played a crucial role in said triumph, with his awareness and defensive capabilities enough to deal with the likes of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and the late Diogo Jota respectively.

The centre-back continued to perform at this high level for the rest of the season, even scoring against Manchester City in the next round of the FA Cup. When Argyle were narrowly relegated at the end of the season, much talk surrounded which Championship club were going to acquire his services.

Given how well he performed during his short stint with the Pilgrims, it will be hugely surprising for Plymouth supporters to see Talovierov struggling so much at Stoke City.

His class was recognisable instantly at Home Park, but for a multitude of reasons, he doesn’t appear to be in Robins’ immediate defensive plans.

Maksym Talovierov won’t want his Stoke City situation to linger on much longer

Although Talovierov is yet to even see out his first year in English football, he will already be conscious of the situation that has formed at Stoke City.

Managers very rarely like to change their backline, especially if they are enjoying a successful run of form, which means barring injuries, the Ukrainian doesn’t have a direct route into Stoke’s starting 11.

At this point in his career, the 25-year-old needs to be playing regular football to ensure that he continues on an upward trajectory.

During his time with Plymouth, Talovierov showed just how good a defender he can be, and other teams in the division will be aware of this.

Therefore, if he continues to struggle for football with the Potters, Talovierov may have to start thinking about pursuing an unscheduled exit from the bet365 Stadium.