Stoke City profited in more ways than one after Gillingham transfer | OneFootball

Stoke City signed Mamady Sidibe from Gillingham in the summer of 2005, and his arrival would be transformational for the club

In the summer of 2005, Stoke City would make a signing that would go down in history as one of the club's most underrated bits of business of all time.

Fresh off the back of the 2004/05 season, Stoke City had just finished 12th in the Championship in what was Tony Pulis’ final season at the helm in his first reign at the club, with the Icelandic ownership regime choosing to dismiss the Welshman and replace him with Dutch boss Johan Boskamp.

Boskamp had spent much of his career playing and managing in Belgium before he arrived in the Potteries, and his authority was immediately stamped upon the club with the additions of the likes of Sambegou Bangoura, Carl Hoefkens, Gabriel N’Galula, and Martin Kolar from the Belgian Pro League.

There was a real sense of optimism and excitement surrounding the Bet365 Stadium, then known as the Britannia Stadium, ahead of this campaign, with many Potters fans knowing little about Boskamp or any of their new arrivals.

However, alongside the array of signings from Belgium was the under-the-radar free agreement Stoke made with fellow Championship side Gillingham, with this player's impact at the club having a lasting positive effect in numerous ways, leading all the way up to the modern day.

Stoke City completed the free signing of Mamady Sidibe from Gillingham in the summer of 2005

Having first landed on British soil with Swansea City in 2001, Mamady Sidibe spent three years at the Priestfield Stadium with Gillingham before his move to Potteries, with his time in Kent being relatively uninspiring, scoring just 13 goals in 115 appearances across all competitions for the Gills.

This did not deter Stoke, though, who brought him to Staffordshire on a free transfer and thrust him straight into the fold, making 42 league appearances in his first campaign, scoring six times.

The Potters would finish 13th in their only season under Boskamp, as the Icelandic ownership regime came to an end when the Coates family decided to re-purchase the club and reinstate Pulis as the boss, a decision which would change the course of the club forever.

Sidibe would continue to be a mainstay up front even after Pulis’ return, as across the next two seasons, the Malian forward would make 78 league appearances, scoring 13 and assisting 11, combining with the likes of Ricardo Fuller, Liam Lawrence, and Richard Cresswell as the Potters secured a historic promotion to the Premier League in 2008, with Sidibe’s efforts instrumental to that success. His crucial brace in their 2-1 home win over Bristol City was a defining moment in their season.

Following their promotion to the top-flight, Stoke were tipped as one of the hot favourites to go straight back down, as the additions of both Dave Kitson and James Beattie in the forward areas strengthened their chances of survival and meant that Sidibe’s playing time suffered.

However, he would refuse to remain under the radar and would have a memorable impact among Stoke supporters, netting the winner in their first Premier League victory, a 3-2 home win over Aston Villa, as the Malian flicked on a trademark Rory Delap long throw past Brad Friedel to send Potters fans into raptures.

He’d score the only goal in a 1-0 win over promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion in November and then one in their 2-2 away draw against Newcastle United, before a knee problem and cruciate ligament tear saw him sidelined for the remainder of the season and heading into the next one, though Stoke secured Premier League survival even with his absence.

In what was his final notable season with the club, Sidibe would score twice and assist once in 24 top-flight games, with once again crucial contributions against the likes of Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, and Burnley as their status as a Premier League mainstay was beginning to be cemented.

He’d technically spend another three years contracted to the Staffordshire outfit, though injury problems would heavily limit his appearances on the pitch, and a brief loan spell to Sheffield Wednesday for the 2012/13 season didn’t help to revive his career.

Spells with Tranmere Rovers and then finally CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria saw his career come to a close. Sidibe was never the most prolific of forwards, but his efforts up front were imperative to guiding Stoke into the Premier League and helping to keep them there.

The Malian’s physical presence allowed his teammates surrounding him to thrive, whilst also enabling Pulis to play fast and direct by lumping up balls for him to get on the end of. Whilst he was never the easiest player on the eye to watch, his effectiveness transcended the importance of that, as he will forever go down as a hero in the red and white.

Mamady Sidibe has had a lasting impact at Stoke City

Sidibe was one of the key components to Stoke’s rise into the Premier League and staying there, which built the foundations for their FA Cup final run, their subsequent journey into Europe, and into the year under Mark Hughes, attracting the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Marko Arnautovic, and Bojan Krkic to the Potteries.

Although those good times are over, and they find themselves dwelling in the Championship once more, Sidibe has continued to have an impact on the club even recently.

His son, Sol, broke through into the Stoke side in the 2024/25 season under Steven Schumacher, and although the England youth international didn’t play as much as he or fans would’ve hoped, he’d earn a move to Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2025 to continue his development.

As far as free signings go, Sidibe has to be one of the most underrated of all time, and certainly one of, if not the best, that Stoke have ever made, with some of the best times in the club's recent history coming down to his efforts up top.