Florent Cuvelier - Stoke City's hidden Belgian talent

All this talk of the Belgian revolution in recent weeks obviously has its resonance in truth with the talents of Fellaini, Hazard and Dembele all looking like stars in the making.

But Stoke City have their own hidden Belgian talent currently plying his trade in League One for Walsall. Florent Cuvelier has been in impressive form so far this season and his pedigree doesn’t make this too much of a surprise.

A regular for Belgium’s youth teams he was also the captain of their under-19 side during his 18-cap stint with that age group and is well known for his pace and trickery down the wing. His career has been an intriguing one, turned upside down on more than one occasion by financial irregularities at his respective previous employers.

Firstly he played for Royal Excelsior Mouscron in his homeland, the former club of Demba Ba and the Mpenza brothers, before the club started to falter financially and eventually dissolved in 2009 leaving the then 17-year-old hot prospect without a club.

He decided to embark on a career in the UK and like some sort of wanting explorer took the option to sign for the first club he came into contact with when he moved to Portsmouth. He had a great season at the club but once again the side he was with suffered with money problems and Cuvelier was one of many players moved on to keep the club afloat.

Now at 18 he was a wanted player after impressing with Pompey’s youth and reserve sides, not to mention becoming the Belgium youth sides captain and Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham all embarked on signing him but eventually he joined Stoke.

Now while he has not yet played a game for The Potteries club his form with Walsall has seen him become one of the most feared players in League One, according to his gaffer Dean Smith, after an impressive loan deal last term saw him scoring four goals in 18 appearances for The Saddlers.

Now on his second spell at the club he recently signed a new two-year-deal at The Britannia keeping him at the club till 2014.

His style of play will suit Stoke’s current system, a dynamic winger with excellent delivery in a similar vein to Matthew Etherington and Michael Kightly. Yet he has also demonstrated an ability to play inside as well this season so versatility appears to be coming to his game.

He is one of a few players currently on loan from Premier League clubs to keep an eye out for this season and Stoke City fans will be hoping for a productive campaign at the Bescot for the Belgian.

What do you make of Florent Cuvelier?

image: © jad99