Stoke City have hit the jackpot with £300k transfer - Potters could make millions in profit | OneFootball

Junior Tchamadeu signed for Stoke City in the summer of 2023 from Colchester United for just £300k

Having started his Championship career slowly, Cameroon international Junior Tchamadeu has asserted himself as Stoke City's primary right-back option, with his performances from defence earning him heaps of praise from fans and pundits alike.

Junior Tchamadeu began his footballing career in the academy of Charlton Athletic, joining the Addicks in 2013 at the age of ten, where he would spend six years before his release in 2020.

The right-back had trials at both Luton Town and Tottenham Hotspur to no avail, but would get a lifeline after League Two Colchester United offered the youngster a scholarship, and from there, he would never look back.

At 16 years and 349 days old, Tchamadeu became Colchester's youngest-ever starting debutant in the club's 2-1 victory over Grimsby Town, and from there, he would continue his development with the Essex-based outfit.

The 2022/23 season where Tchamadeu really put his name on the map.

In 41 League Two appearances for Colchester, the Cameroonian international scored five and assisted twice from right-back, and in doing so, won numerous end-of-the-season awards for the League Two club, as well as being named the League Two Young Player of the Year.

With a season to remember, clubs in the EFL were circling, and interest from the Championship was increasing.

Junior Tchamadeu signed for Stoke City in the summer of 2023 for just £300k from Colchester United

Stoke City fended off interest from various other clubs across the EFL to land the signing of Tchamadeu for just £300k.

The right-back was one of 18 summer arrivals at the bet365 Stadium under current Millwall manager Alex Neil, moving to the Potteries along with the likes of Wouter Burger, Wesley Moraes, Ben Pearson, and Bae Jun-Ho, to name a few.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, therefore, Tchamadeu struggled in his first season with the Potters, making just 15 Championship appearances across the entire season, with only nine of those coming as starts, having to compete with both Ki-Jana Hoever and Lynden Gooch for a place in the squad.

Despite his struggles, Tchamadeu earned his first senior call-up to the Cameroon national team in late 2023 by manager Rigobert Song, and has since gone on the represent the nation on five occasions.

Tchamadeu would make the right-back spot his own in the 2024/25 season following the departure of Hoever, making 41 Championship appearances across the campaign, scoring once and assisting twice under Steven Schumacher, Narcis Pelach, and Mark Robins.

This season, the 21-year-old has taken his game to the next level, with one goal and one assist in 14 games so far, only missing one game due to suspension.

The Cameroonian has been an energetic and powerful presence down the right flank, perfectly complementing the diminutive Million Manhoef ahead of him, with Tchamadeu often overlapping down the right before trying to find a teammate in the box.

Junior Tchamadeu's performances for Stoke City could see his market value shoot through the roof, with the Potters in line for an enormous profit

On the face of it, his one goal and one assist may appear to be uninspiring, but still only 21 and possessing the raw physical attributes required to become a high-level full-back, Tchamadeu's market value is ever-increasing.

In Stoke's 5-1 thumping over Bristol City, Tchamadeu set up the opener by playing a pinpoint cross along the box for Manchester City loanee Divin Mubama to prod home, but that was not his highlight of the match.

The right-back added a fourth for Stoke early on in the second half, picking the ball off Manhoef just inside his own half before running the entire length of the pitch and placing the ball beyond a helpless Radek Vitek in the Robins' goal, in a strike which will be replayed again and again.

Following his sublime finish, Tchamadeu said: "I’ve been meaning to add end product so I’m very happy with the goal, probably the best one I’ve scored in my career so far."

Under former Coventry City manager Mark Robins, Tchamadeu looks almost certain to take his game to the next level, and being the club's only current senior right-back, the pathway is clear for him to make his mark.

After the first five games of the season, Tchamadeu said: "I believe the gaffer has a lot of trust in me, and he's shown that since he's come in. So it's down to me to repay that faith the club's shown in me.

"As much as I'm the only right-back, if I'm not living up to it and performing to the standard I know I can, it doesn't help the team and I'm not helping myself as well."

Stoke hold real ambitions of promotion this season, having made huge strides after narrowly avoiding relegation to League One last campaign.

The Potters will be desperate to keep a hold of the Cameroonian international for as long as possible, though with his stock only going up, there will come a time when their resolve will be tested for Tchamadeu, and he will be able to command a significantly larger amount than what they signed him for two years ago.