+1Outlaw 2.0 wrote:FUCK!t9rres wrote:STOKE SEAL KENWYNE JONES SIGNING
Stoke have tonight completed the signing of striker Kenwyne Jones in a club record £8million deal from Sunderland.
Both clubs confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the 25-year-old Trinidad & Tobago international was in talks over a move to the Potteries.
And Stoke boss Tony Pulis has managed to quickly seal the deal, with Jones - who had a short spell on loan at the Britannia Stadium in 2005 - signing a four-year deal.
The fee surpasses the previous record of £6million that Stoke paid to Middlesbrough for defender Robert Huth last summer.
Pulis said: "Kenwyne is unplayable on his day, which is why this is a fantastic signing for this football club.
"We need goals in our team and we also need strong competition among our strikers if we are to continue improving at this level.
"Kenwyne will give us that. It's no secret that I am one of his biggest admirers. He did a smashing job for us when he was here on loan. He was very young back then but I believe that he has the best years ahead of him as a top striker."
Jones cited his previous spell with the Potters, where he scored three goals in 13 appearances, as a key factor behind his decision to join the club on a permanent basis.
"The fact that I know the manager, some of the players and the place so well has obviously been an influence upon me coming here," he said.
"This is an exciting new chapter in my career and I want to do my best for a club that has clearly had great success since I was last here.
"I am looking forward to the challenge of helping Stoke build upon the progress they have made over the past two years in the Premier League."
Jones, who could make his debut against Wolves on Saturday, left the Caribbean in 2004 to try his luck in England and joined Southampton after a successful trial.
Loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke followed and his performances for Saints in the 2006/07 season persuaded Sunderland to part with £6million for his services.
The tall striker swiftly became a favourite at the Stadium of Light, scoring 20 goals over his first two seasons, but last term, although he contributed nine goals, Jones found himself in and out of the side.
Darren Bent stole the show up front, netting 25 times, and Black Cats boss Steve Bruce revealed today that frustration with Jones' inconsistency persuaded him to accept Stoke's offer.
He told the Sunderland Echo: "There has always been a frustration with me, and I think with supporters who have watched Kenwyne, that you see an abundance of talent but it has not come out often enough for us for whatever reason.
"In management you get paid to make some important decisions sometimes. Stoke have been badgering me for a year. Everyone knows they love a big, traditional centre-forward and he might go and suit them.
"Towards the end with Kenwyne, things were not working out so I have accepted Stoke's offer."
Pulis has been biding his time in the transfer marker this summer, with youngster Florent Cuvelier and keeper Carlo Nash the only players to arrive at the Britannia Stadium before today.
A forward has been a priority and the Potters boss reached a verbal agreement with French club Nice over a fee for Loic Remy but, with other clubs interested, that deal appeared to have stalled.
Three of Stoke's current forwards - Dave Kitson, James Beattie and Tuncay Sanli - have all been linked with moves away in the last few weeks and speculation about their futures will now increase.
Chief executive Tony Scholes hailed Jones' capture as a statement of intent from Stoke, who have finished 12th and 11th in their two seasons in the Barclays Premier League.
He said: "Breaking our transfer record once again - the fourth instance in two and a half years - is a measure of the club's ambitions as we look to continue moving forward and build upon our success under Tony Pulis.
"Kenwyne has been on Tony's wish list for some time and we are delighted to sign a striker who many of the country's top defenders consider to be a real handful on his day. This is an exciting acquisition for the club."
Jones, who scored 28 goals in 101 appearances for Sunderland in total, is the latest player to leave the Black Cats for Stoke, following in the footsteps of Dean Whitehead, Danny Collins, Danny Higginbotham, Rory Delap, Thomas Sorensen and Liam Lawrence.
that is all.
Least Mensah is back again.
