Maksym Talovierov to Stoke City transfer as Plymouth Argyle boss makes exit admission
Stoke City are making a beeline for Ukraine international Maksym Talovierov from Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle manager Tom Cleverley admits he expects record signing Maksym Talovierov to seal an imminent exit.
Stoke City are believed to be closing in on a deal for the 25-year-old Ukraine centre-back, who joined Plymouth from Austrian side LASK for about £1.7 million in January.
Talovierov gave a glimpse of his potential in the Championship and FA Cup, and Stoke have had to fight off considerable competition to lure him to the bet365 Stadium.
Cleverley told PlymouthLive: “We expect Maxi to complete his move away from the club. I think that’s 99 per cent done.
Stoke City closing in on transfer agreement for Plymouth Argyle record-breaker Maksym Talovierov
“We don’t expect Maxi back in the building – again a player who you can see is quality, he plays for Ukraine and he’s trying to get to World Cup.
“He’s been very respectful with myself, he’s been very respectful with his teammates, and if you are unfortunately going to lose a player like Maxi he’s certainly done it in a very respectful way and he’s gone to the level above, which is the nature of being relegated at times.”
It will be a blow for Plymouth, who have already lost Ryan Hardie, Adam Randell, Mustapha Bundu and Dan Grimshaw since falling into League One. They have been busy signing players too, however, including potential Talovierov replacement Brendan Wiedu from Fleetwood Town.
Stoke City ‘making transfer swoop’ for Plymouth Argyle record signing – Stoke-on-Trent Live
New head of football operations David Fox, who did co-comms on Stoke games last season, told PlymouthLive: “I just think that’s natural. It’s the start of what I would say is a new cycle. That’s not uncommon, that’s what happens. If you go back to when I left the club in 2019 we had just been relegated, same situation.
“The club found itself in League Two and there was a huge change, with (Ryan Lowe), with Steven (Schumacher), with a new backroom staff and players like myself, (Graham) Carey, (Ruben) Lameiras, (Freddie) Ladapo – lads that the fans really connected to – all moved on.
Stoke City ‘making transfer swoop’ for Plymouth Argyle record signing – Stoke-on-Trent Live
And, well, Stoke’s high-octane approach pays dividends against one of the most well-drilled sides in Europe. With 18 minutes on the clock, a Delap throw was flicked on by the lofty Ryan Shawcross and the ball fell to Matthew Etherington, who rifled home his volley past a hopeless Victor Valdes.
Stoke’s stomping ground – the away end shook to the core, dumbfounded – roared.
Then, Messi – who has often carried a sense of inevitably – gets on the scoresheet. “Picking it up just inside his own half, Messi slalomed past [Dean] Whitehead and [Glen] Whelan like they were cones. Despite the turf giving way, he skipped through puddles with that low centre of gravity,” ChatGPT said.
