Stoke City got the best out of Norwich City star Mario Vrancic but it only lasted for one season | OneFootball

Mario Vrancic was impressive in his time with the Potters, but it was all too short a stint

The phrase 'one-season wonder' is usually reserved for a footballer that shone in a single campaign and never reached similar heights in their career before or after, yet for Stoke City supporters, the phrase may take on a slightly different meaning when they reminisce over Bosnian playmaker Mario Vrancic's time at the club.

Stoke's 2021 transfer window was a busy one, as 13 senior players departed throughout the summer to enable Michael O'Neill to build a new-look squad that would aim to improve on the previous season, which had seen the club finish mid-table in the Championship once again.

The likes of Ben Wilmot, Jack Bonham, Sam Surridge and Leo Ostigard and Romaine Sawyers arrived in the Potteries, but arguably O'Neill's most intriguing summer signing was that of Vrancic, who had not long been released by Norwich City after four mostly successful years at Carrow Road.

Vrancic's time in East Anglia saw him become a fan-favourite among Canaries fans, as he played a pivotal role in both of their promotion seasons to the Premier League in 2019 and 2021, and made over 130 appearances in yellow and green.

He was signed on a one-year deal by the Potters, and there were initial doubts over whether he could still make an impact at Championship level at 32-years-old, but those fears were soon quashed, and he became a key man at the bet365 Stadium.

Unfortunately for Stoke, the Bosnian international was only at the club for that single season, but he certainly made his mark and is still regarded as one of the Potters' best and most creative players since their relegation to the second-tier in 2018.

Mario Vrancic was a key man for Stoke in his one season at the club

Stoke's midfield in 2020/21 had not been the source of many goals or assists, with Nick Powell mostly playing as a striker and the likes of John Obi-Mikel, Jordan Thompson and Joe Allen all more focused on keeping the rearguard protected than affecting play in the final third.

Boss O'Neill, therefore, saw Vrancic's signing as an opportunity to "bring a different dimension" to the middle of the park, and the 32-year-old set about proving his value to the team before the season had even begun, with a spectacular solo goal in a pre-season friendly against Aston Villa.

His first few months at the bet365 Stadium were as good a start as any Stoke player has had at the club in recent times, as he notched an assist in both his second and third appearances against Fleetwood Town and Nottingham Forest, with the latter a perfectly weighted pass to set up Josh Tymon's late sweeping winner.

Vrancic's slick, skilful nature complimented the tenacity and energy of Romaine Sawyers and Sam Clucas as the Potters started the season really well and firmly in the play-off race, and it wasn't long until he had netted his first goal in Stoke colours with a well-taken finish in a 2-0 win over Hull City.

He maintained a huge influence over the team with the halfway point of the campaign fast arriving, with two more goals in wins over Peterborough United and Queens Park Rangers, as well as an assist in each game and further goal contributions against Brentford, Huddersfield Town and Derby County.

By that point, his signing looked to have been an absolute master-stroke by Stoke and O'Neill, but it soon looked as if the speed of the Championship had caught up with him, and he suffered recurring injury issues after the turn of the year.

Without his experience and nous in the middle of the park, the Potters' form fell apart as the season went on, and while he returned to regular action in March and made starts in wins over Millwall, Sheffield United and West Brom, it was not enough and Stoke eventually finished 14th once again.

It is fair to say that, if Vrancic had been five years younger and able to maintain his fitness levels throughout the campaign, the Potters would most likely have kept up their play-off challenge and come a lot closer to sixth place than they eventually did in May 2022.

His 35 appearances in his maiden campaign for the club had triggered an option to extend his contract for another season, so he looked set to play a big part at the bet365 Stadium once again in 2022/23, but was instead loaned out to Croatian side Rijeka in June, which effectively brought his time in the Potteries to an end.

Vrancic has fond memories of his time at Stoke

Upon Vrancic's exit, Michael O'Neill explained that the Bosnian international had told the club "how appealing this move was to him, and we felt that we could not stand in his way," and his loan switch was later made permanent in February 2023, which brought an official end to his 18 months being contracted to the Potters.

Vrancic was such an impressive playmaker in his short time in ST4, and Stoke fans will likely feel some jealousy that Norwich supporters were able to enjoy his talents at the peak of their powers just a few years prior.

While his time at the club was short, the now-35-year-old talked with fondness about his stint in the Potteries in an interview with the PinkUn in October, which was a precursor to both of his former sides facing off in a Championship clash at the bet365 Stadium.

"Stoke are a big, big club. They have high ambitions. I had a good season there. I was a bit injured during my time there, but I made 35 appearances, which is okay, and I had a good time there," he recalled.

"Michael O'Neill was my coach and they were great people. I really enjoyed playing for Stoke, but you know how it is in life; at some point, you know it's enough. It didn't have anything to do with the club, I just wanted a change to see something new.

"This is why I went to Croatia. But Stoke is a great club, and I had nothing to complain about."

Vrancic also offered his thoughts as to why the Potters have struggled to achieve success in the Championship since their relegation in 2018, and expressed his disappointment in how his only season at the club had panned out as a whole.

He said: "In my season that I was there, in November or December, we were in the top three, and then our best defender, Harry Souttar, got an ACL injury and was out for six or seven months.

"After that, we struggled so much. You lose some games and lose confidence, and then we can't turn things around. We finished 14th, which is not great for the size of this club. You can have philosophies and great players, but you also need luck. We didn't have that.

"This is when things turned, and we struggled afterwards. It's hard when you are down once to get back, even if you're a big club.

"The smaller clubs are not sleeping, but they are developing. 10 or 15 years ago, you beat those clubs easily, but it makes it harder to get promoted when that is the case."

Stoke's last seven years have been a period of real struggle both on and off the pitch, and Potters fans have found cult-heroes to be a thing of the past, with many players unable to make an impact like they do at other clubs, and therefore not having that connection with supporters.

Vrancic, though, can rest assured that his one-season stay in ST4 is one that is held in very high regard at this club, and he is undoubtedly one of the classiest midfield operators to have worn the red and white stripes, not just in recent times, but far beyond that too.