West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion interest
According to a report in TribalFootball in July, West Ham want to sign the former Chelsea defensive midfielder on a free transfer.
The report claimed that the Premier League club were in talks with the 33-year-old Nigerian, who is a free agent at the moment after leaving Turkish club Trabzonspor by mutual consent in March.
Also in July, Sky Sports reported that West Brom – who will play in the Premier League next season after winning automatic promotion from the Championship – are interested in the defensive midfielder – described as “exceptional” by former Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis when he was in charge of the club, as quoted on Skysports.com.
Stoke City transfer
However, it seems that despite reportedly holding talks with West Ham and being on the radar of West Brom, the Nigeria is joining Stoke in the Championship.
The Telegraph has reported this morning that the 33-year-old will sign a one-year contract with the Potters.
Surprise move?
It does come as a surprise as Stoke did not fare well in the Championship this past season and could find it tough to finish in the playoffs in 2020-21, although it must be noted that they are building a strong team with the additions of Steven Fletcher, Morgan Fox and James Chester (after a loan spell) already this summer.
West Ham are an established club in the Premier League, while West Brom will be aiming to avoid the dreaded drop and could well manage it.
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