Stoke City thought they had landed £0 transfer steal - he never played a game for the Potters | OneFootball

Juan Agudelo never lived up to expectations at Stoke.

Stoke City will desperately want to forget their 2013 summer signing of Juan Agudelo from MLS side New England Revolution.

The Potters secured the services of the frontman on a pre-contract agreement and were prepared to hand him the opportunity to shine in the Premier League.

The then-20-year-old had already earned 17 caps for the American national team, and had enjoyed a productive season in the MLS prior to agreeing terms with Stoke.

There were high hopes that Agudelo could be one to watch for the future, but he failed to secure a work permit, which forced Stoke to loan him out. He eventually departed without making a single appearance for the club.

Agudelo’s move to Stoke simply didn’t work out

Stoke would have been quietly optimistic about Agudelo’s future when they first penned the deal to bring him across the Atlantic.

The Colombian-born forward had burst onto the scene at international level with the USA back in 2010, becoming their youngest ever scorer in the modern era (at the time) at the age of 17.

By the time he arrived at Stoke, he was a seasoned international despite only being 20, and had enjoyed stints with New England, Chivas USA and the New York Red Bulls.

Stoke’s deal to sign Agudelo was agreed in August 2013, ahead of the expiry of his MLS contract in the following January, however, things didn’t go to plan for the Potters.

The forward was denied a work permit in November 2013, leaving the Midlands outfit with little choice but to immediately loan out their new man when he arrived.

He spent six months with Eredevisie outfit Utrecht, for whom he notched a promising tally of three goals and three assists from just 14 appearances.

Stoke later lodged an appeal over the work permit decision after Agudelo’s loan spell, but when that was also rejected, they were left with no choice but to terminate his contract.

The striker had several offers from clubs across Europe, but ultimately decided to head back to the USA and re-join New England.

Agudelo has never reached his potential

Agudelo’s ambition of playing in Europe was now put on the back foot, but that didn’t stop him from making a strong start to life back in his homeland.

He hit seven goals in each of his first two seasons back in the MLS, before going one better with eight in the 2017 campaign.

Agudelo spent five seasons back in New England before brief stints with David Beckham’s Inter Miami in 2020 and then Minnesota United in 2021.

He then dropped into the American second tier with Birmingham Legion. He has played in the USL Championship ever since and is now with San Antonio.

Agudelo must surely regret the way his career has played out. The frontman was once a hugely promising youngster, who seemed destined to go on and become the latest American to enjoy success in Europe and potentially even become the poster boy for US football.

However, when his Stoke career fell apart (through no fault of his own), those dreams quickly unravelled.

From Stoke’s perspective, they must surely have been frustrated by the way in which Agudelo’s situation played out. What could have been a big signing for them ultimately turned into a huge mistake.

Agudelo could have come in and been the next American to shine in English football, but instead, he remains a decision that the Potters would rather forget about.