Stoke City: Millwall and Derby evidence suggests Narcis Pelach has found Potters gem | OneFootball

Tatsuki Seko has quickly grown into a key man for the Potters in recent weeks

It may only be November, but Stoke City have had a relatively turbulent season already, and one summer signing has had to wait until the last few weeks to finally be given his chance to shine at the heart of the Potters' midfield.

Stoke have a different head-coach now to the one that oversaw all of their transfer business in the summer, and new man Narcis Pelach has clearly had to earn the trust of his squad since he took over from Steven Schumacher in September.

Pelach understandably started on a rocky note, but the Potters' form has steadied as time has passed, and they have lost just one of the last eight Championship games, with three wins and four draws in the same period.

Stoke's two wins on the bounce to start November was the first time they had achieved that feat in the league so far this term, and while it has certainly been a team effort with the players, head-coach and supporters starting to build a clear rapport, the Potters' form has also coincided with the late introduction of Japanese midfielder Tatsuki Seko to the starting eleven.

Seko joined Stoke from J-League side Kawasaki Frontale for an undisclosed fee on deadline day back in August, and despite playing up to the same month in the league for his old side, struggled for minutes upon arrival and did not even feature under Schumacher before he had left in mid-September.

The 26-year-old has seen his game-time increase since Pelach came in though, and his last few showings in Stoke's recent run of form have proven that he could be a massively key player going forward in his team, and he looks to have won over a lot of Potters' supporters already due to his high-intensity, tough-tackling style of play.

Tatsuki Seko was a key man for Stoke against Derby and Millwall

Seko had to wait nearly three weeks to make his Stoke debut after he first joined, with a cameo in a 3-1 loss against Hull City, then waited nearly another month for his second outing for the club, another late substitute appearance in a 1-1 draw against Norwich City.

The Potters' midweek trip to Southampton in the EFL Cup late last month allowed Pelach to make some changes to his usual starting eleven, and so the Japanese man came in alongside Jordan Thompson, and shone against Premier League opposition for 90 minutes as his driving run helped set up Tom Cannon's equaliser before a late Saints winner made it 3-2.

It came as no surprise after that game that he was handed his first Championship start four days later against Derby County, and it will surely be the first of many this season, given his performance in the middle of the park next to Wouter Burger and Andrew Moran.

Seko was a breath of fresh air for Burger, who looked a better player for his inclusion compared to his largely lacklustre recent form, and helped Stoke get the ball moving forward in midfield while constantly cutting off any Rams attacks, as the Potters emerged 2–1 victors.

His minutes are still clearly being managed, as he was rested for the trip to Blackburn on November 6 and brought on to protect the Potters' second successive win with 35 minutes to go, but he returned to the starting eleven last time out against Millwall and was again hugely influential in a game that Stoke dominated throughout.

The 26-year-old is the ideal upgrade that Stoke needed on Jordan Thompson, in that he does the simple things with ease, is tenacious out of possession, and always looking to offer for the ball and play it forward.

Seko has earned high praise from his Potters head-coach

Seko has seized his opportunity in the starting eleven with both hands in recent weeks, and it seems a given now that he will be a mainstay in midfield, with added responsibility in the next outing against QPR due to Burger's yellow-card suspension.

He has earned a lot of praise on social media for his performances, and his posts on both Twitter and Instagram are signs that he is finally beginning to come into his own in English football, with some time spent adapting to the difference in culture here, compared to Japan.

Not only have the Stoke fans been appreciative of Seko's showings, but most importantly, Narcis Pelach has clearly taken note of his influence on the team, and he offered him high praise in an interview after his starts against Southampton and Derby.

He said: "Seko has been exceptional, you don't find many players like Tatsuki. He's a great example of a teammate and the culture and character he has.

"He has not been playing under me until Southampton and he never knocked on my door, he respected my space and never asked why, he just went to training and did the best he could.

"Of course I have to be cautious because he is a good player and I really feel like he can give us a lot. He will represent the values of Stoke City very well, I want players like that."

Despite a slow start, Seko has quickly become one of Stoke's key men, and even though the likes of Bosun Lawal and Ben Pearson are both set to return from injury in the months to come, he looks to have nailed down a starting spot for the foreseeable future as the Potters head into a busy winter schedule.