標籤: Smit

When Stoke City came calling in the January transfer window, it didn’t take long for Milan Smit to make up his mind.

The Dutch striker says his move in January was a “dream” opportunity that came suddenly, escalated quickly and simply could not be turned down. He tells everything to Voetbal Primeur today.

A move that changed everything

Milan Smit has been impressing for the Netherlands since joining the Go Ahead Eagles in 2024, with 13 goals and five assists in 54 games.

He also impressed at SC Cambuur, scoring 28 goals and six assists in 63 games for them. That European form had already put him on many radars, but the defining moment for the 23-year-old came the day before the clash with Ajax.

“My agent called and said: There is a club that has serious interest. I immediately asked if the match against Ajax could be my last match for Go Ahead. ‘That could be the case,’ he replied.

“I think everyone knows Stoke City. At the time, the club was very close to the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League. That’s really Stoke’s ambition.

“My girlfriend was sitting next to me when my agent called. I immediately told her: I just have to do this.”

good audition, bad exit

He scored in that game against Ajax, helping secure a tie with Stoke the following day.

“I met Stoke the day after the match against Ajax. It’s good if you show what you are capable of.” He laughs.

“This interest was a surprise to everyone, including me. I wasn’t planning on going this winter at all… When something like this comes up in the winter, you shouldn’t hesitate.”

It took nine days to sort out the transfer. When Go Ahead traveled to face OGC Nice they decided not to play. That decision didn’t turn out well, but he justifies it.

“If you play, you’re just taking a risk. I didn’t want to take that, because it was a great deal to me that I didn’t want to miss out on. It was a train I had to jump on.”

Why was Stoke City the perfect fit?

Stoke City had some explaining to do. He needed to sell Stryker on his project and make sure his expectations matched his ambitions.

Fortunately for the Championship side, both sets of ambitions aligned.

“Naturally, you want to hear the club’s plans and ambitions,” He said.

“Really it’s all in line with what I wanted. They wanted to sign me as their first-choice striker. They see me as a potential Premier League player. That gave me a lot of confidence and I wanted to come here.

“Stoke said they were chasing me since last season, if I’m fit, I want to play every game.”

A warm club with big ambitions

Asked to describe the club, Milan Smit doesn’t hesitate. “It’s a very warm-hearted club… It’s kind of a team of friends, and I really appreciate that.”

Despite an impressive return of two goals and one assist in 11 games so far, he can already feel his improvement. He has his sights set on progress, especially the Premier League.

“I signed a contract here for four and a half years and I hope to take the next step within two and a half or three years. I’ve always said Serie A, but I also think England is incredibly beautiful.” He added.

“If I had to name one league I would say the Premier League.”

Milan Smit is settling off the pitch

The forward is settling into his Stoke City life on and off the pitch. Naturally, given that Stoke is not a big city, he has been spending some of his free time in Manchester.

Living alone, Smit is enjoying life despite being away from his girlfriend.

“Stoke is not the best city to live, haha. Most people live in and around Manchester. I live fifteen minutes from Manchester and I’m really happy here. My girlfriend lives and studies in the Netherlands, but she has enough free time to come here regularly,” Smit said.

“It’s good. I was practically living with her in Deventer, so it takes some time to get used to doing everything alone again. However, I’m okay with being alone. Sometimes it’s actually quite nice.”