HITC picks a Stoke City XI of player who were linked with a move to the club.
In January of 2010, Stoke City came close to tying up a loan deal for Portsmouth goalkeeper David James. The player’s wages, however, proved to be a major stumbling block to the deal. As the Telegraph reported at the time, the Potters were unwilling to pay all of James’ £50,000 a week salary. Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie commented on the failed transfer: “As far as I am concerned, if a fellow Premier League side want to take a Premier League player, then pay his wages. Why bother even ringing if they are not going to pay his wages?”
Newly-promoted Stoke were on the hunt for experience defenders when they tried to recruit Sami Hyypia in 2008. According to the Liverpool Echo, Tony Pulis lodged a £2.5million offer for the 34-year-old defender which was turned down by Liverpool.
James Collins was another defender that Pulis missed out on during his time at Stoke. The West Ham defender told the Stoke Sentinel that he had discussions with Pulis in 2009, before deciding to join Premier League side Aston Villa.
Victor Lindelof has been linked with a big-money move to Manchester United this transfer window, but he could have been Stoke’s for a bargain fee of £260,000. Lindelof spent a week on trial with the Potters in 2011, but failed to make an impression, according to the Express.
In 2014, Stoke’s hierarchy were left furious after Sunderland quashed Lee Cattermole’s move to the club at the final hour. As reported by the Stoke Sentinel, the Potters had agreed a £5million deadline-day deal for the ex-Wigan midfielder. However, the Black Cats had a last minute change of heart and halted the move, leaving no Stoke City no time to find a replacement.
Cattermole wasn’t the only player that Stoke missed out on the day. Jonathan Pitroipa looked set for a loan switch from French side Rennes before an unexpected hitch caused the deal to collapse. Pitroipa told the BBC that the move “was very close, but maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”
There was similar frustration for Stoke in 2011, when West Ham United’s Scott Parker rejected the club so that he could stay in London . According to the Daily Mail, Stoke were locked in negotiations with the Hammers for weeks prior to deadline-day to try and secure a deal for Parker. However, Tottenham Hotspur came in with a late bid to take the midfielder to White Hart Lane.
Earlier in that transfer window, Stoke were in the running to sign one of English football’s brightest talents when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was looking to leave Southampton. Pulis told the BBC that the 18-year-old was high on his summer wish list, but the competition for his signature was far too strong.
A year prior to that, it seemed as though Stoke had beaten off interest from Liverpool and West Ham to sign highly-regarded French forward Loic Remy. The Frenchman was seen shaking hands with Pulis and giving autographs to expectant Stoke supporters, before learning it emerged that all of the involved parties couldn’t agree the financials for the deal. The Mirror reported that disagreements over Remy’s transfer fee and his wages caused the transfer to break down.
A failed medical prevented Demba Ba from joining the Potters in January of 2011. According to the BBC, the terms of a permanent deal had all been agreed before knee issues highlighted in the medical reluctantly led Stoke to call off the deal.
And Scott Parker wasn’t the only player who rejected Stoke to stay in London. Mark Hughes tried to persuade Emmanuel Adebayor to sign on a free transfer in January of 2016, according to the Daily Mail. However, Hughes, who is a big admirer of the striker after working with him at Manchester City, couldn’t prevent Adebayor from choosing a move to Crystal Palace instead.
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