Stoke City have hit the transfer jackpot with Man City deal - Pep Guardiola will be pleased | OneFootball

Divin Mubama signed for Stoke City on loan this summer and scored his first career hat trick at the weekend against Bristol City.

Divin Mubama netted his first career hat-trick at the weekend in Stoke City's 5-1 home thumping of Bristol City, and he looks to be an inspired piece of business by the Potters, having joined on loan from Manchester City this summer.

Having spent his entire youth career with West Ham, London-born Mubama joined Manchester City in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract, but had to cough up a £2 million compensation fee to the Hammers.

As of now, that looks to be an absolute steal.

The striker has appeared at every youth level for England from Under-15s to Under-21s, and was a prolific scorer for West Ham's youth sides during his time at the club.

Man City were quick to obtain Mubama's signature following his release, and after one season at the club, where he netted 16 times and grabbed four assists in just 13 Premier League 2 games last season, he was made available for loan this summer.

Divin Mubama looks to be an inspired piece of business by Mark Robins and Stoke City

After once again proving that he is prolific at scoring at youth level, Mubama was made available for loan this summer for clubs in the Championship; with Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush ahead of him in the pecking order at the Etihad, it's no surprise.

Stoke City and Mark Robins moved quickly to secure a loan deal for Mubama, who has announced himself as the club's main centre-forward option ahead of fellow summer signing and Slovakian international Robert Bozenik.

The Englishman has started 11 of Stoke's 13 Championship matches so far, netting five goals and grabbing one assist.

He would score a late winner against Derby County on his debut in a 3-1 home victory, and followed that up by netting away at Sheffield Wednesday in the following league games.

He had endured somewhat of a quiet spell in front of goal thereafter up until this weekend, where he played a pivotal role in the Potters' demolition of Bristol City, scoring three and assisting one.

It's a first senior career hat-trick for Mubama, who has become just the third Stoke player to score a hat-trick in the last decade after Jonathan Walters and Tom Cannon.

Stoke have looked like a side transformed in comparison to last season, where they just about scraped survival on the final day by a single point, courtesy of a goalless draw away to Derby.

The former West Ham man has played a massive part in Stoke's bid for a play-off place in the early stages of the campaign, as the side currently sit in third, just behind Middlesbrough and four points off Coventry City.

Mubama's physical presence and ability to hold off opposition defenders have allowed the Potters to use him as a focal point of their attack, spraying passes into his feet where he is then able to hold the ball and wait for an option or quickly lay off a pass to another teammate.

This can be clearly seen in effect during the build-up to Stoke's third goal at the weekend, where Million Manhoef and Mubama combined with a quick one-two in the box before the Dutchman buried into the corner with aplomb.

Robins will be delighted with the capture of Mubama, and he could play a defining role in the Potters' season.

Watching on closely will no doubt be Man City boss Pep Guardiola, who will be excited by the 21-year-old's development in Staffordshire.

With the Norwegian goalscoring robot that is Haaland occupying the centre-forward role at the Etihad for the foreseeable future, it is unlikely that Mubama will be able to force his way into the City side regularly upon his return to the Cityzens.

City have taken their academy to the next level in recent years, with sales of young stars such as Liam Delap, Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia, to name a few, and with a productive loan spell, Mubama could yet be the next on that conveyor belt.

Marmoush currently deputises in the centre-forward role in Haaland's absence, and it remains to be seen whether Guardiola would prefer the Englishman, who is a more similar player to Haaland than Marmoush, or not.