Stoke City: Potters poised to sign Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone on loan
STOKE City are poised to complete the loan signing of Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone today.
Spurs have agreed to loan out the 25-year-old until January, with a view to extending the deal until the end of the season.
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HAIR TODAY: Tom Huddlestone has passed a medical to seal his loan move to Stoke.
Huddlestone had a medical at Stoke yesterday after the clubs thrashed out a deal which gives Tottenham the freedom to recall the England midfielder or sell him in the January transfer window if they wish.
However, City are hopeful of holding on to the player, whose range of passing will add some craft to their midfield.
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Stoke have been able to land Huddlestone on loan because he dropped out of the reckoning at White Hart Lane through injury last season.
Huddlestone's last competitive match was on August 28 last year when he was in the line-up for their Premier League game against Manchester City.
He has had two operations on his right ankle since then, but has played for Spurs this pre-season, making a comeback in a friendly win over Stevenage and also featuring in their tour of the United States.
Huddlestone came through the youth ranks at Derby, making his debut as a 16-year-old in their 3-0 home defeat to Stoke on the opening day of the 2003-04 season.
He moved to Spurs for £2.5m in 2005 and has made 181 appearances for the club.
He has made three England appearances, the last of which was against Japan two years ago in a World Cup warm-up game.
His arrival looks likely to push his former Spurs team-mate Wilson Palacios a little further down the pecking order at the Britannia Stadium.
The Honduras international joined Stoke in a £6m deal from Spurs on deadline day last year, but struggled for fitness and form having been recovering from a knee injury when he arrived.
He has had a full pre-season this year, but only got on as a late substitute in the season-opener at Reading on Saturday.
Huddlestone's arrival gives City plenty of options in central midfield because Geoff Cameron has also been earmarked for a place there.
The 27-year-old, who can also play in central defence, could feature against Arsenal having impressed in pre-season following his £1.6m move from Houston Dynamo.
Cameron missed the opening game of the season at Reading on Saturday because he has been detained in the United States to complete his visa application.
The players are on a day off today, but Cameron is hoping the paperwork will be approved in time for him to train with the rest of the squad tomorrow.
City have also invested in the midfield potential of 21-year-old Jamie Ness by signing him from Glasgow Rangers on a free transfer from Rangers.
Rangers boss Ally McCoist claims City have also made an approach for his United States international midfielder Maurice Edu.
Former Leeds and Liverpool winger Harry Kewell was also a visitor to Stoke's training ground yesterday, but the 33-year-old, who is a free agent, is not in talks to join the Potters.
Stoke have also distanced themselves from suggestions they could make a late bid to sign Tottenham centre-back Michael Dawson, who appears top be on his way to QPR in a £9m deal.
Comments
by SCFC4EVA
Saturday, August 25 2012, 2:14PM
“rant ?? he used the word rant ! according to some other fool with the same mindset as boothernender, he claimed i was American because I used that word the other day !
there really are some strange folk on here.”
by boothernender
Saturday, August 25 2012, 9:13AM
“What a pathetic nonsensical rant even by your standards. Stoke supporter EVA ? never.
On a more interesting note Rangers Maurice Edu is described as a Stoke player on Wikipedia. Has he signed ?”
by SCFC4EVA
Friday, August 24 2012, 10:02PM
“of course bootherned of course, everybody plays him out of position right? his club, his country. But Pulis would never do that now would he. never use Wilson at leftback, Delap and Shotton on the wing, Huth and Woodgate at right back. need i go on ??
IF he scored 25 goals. Yes boothernender you still live in a fantacy world of non fact and if and or but!”
by boothernender
Friday, August 24 2012, 9:25PM
“Oops, hit the button before I finished. Was going to say that if TP played him out of position in attack and he scored 25 goals that loony EVA/Socerfoot would still moan.”
by boothernender
Friday, August 24 2012, 9:22PM
“Perhaps Houston and the USA play Geoff out of position and he prefers midfield. Still according to so called supporter EVA/Soccerfoot it is always Stoke that are in the wrong. The sensible supporter will wait and see what he does for Stoke and then pass judgement. If TP”
by LiamOSullivan
Friday, August 24 2012, 1:41PM
“You are correct, stoked. Unfortunately.”
by LiamOSullivan
Friday, August 24 2012, 1:40PM
“Only someone as dimwitted as soccereva would attack Pulis for not picking an injured Pennant.
What a knob.”
by SCFC4EVA
Friday, August 24 2012, 1:24PM
“So here we go again. We have Geoff Cameron who played centre half for Houston Dynamo and plays that position for his country, yet Pulis wants to use him elsewhere. We have our second midfielder coming from Spurs who is not fit and apparently not by a long shot.We have Ness' fitness somewhat suspect, so he still uses Delap as a sub on the wing with Jermaine Pennant nowhere to be seen. So personally, i'm yet to see anything positive happen. It has absolutely nothing to do with what players are brought in, in my opinion, just how Pulis uses them that scares me !”
by stoked
Friday, August 24 2012, 7:48AM
“I'm interested to see the formation here. Can Cameron and Huddlestone play together? Are they both not more defensive? Can one push forward. I just pray we wont be swapping 2 deep sitting mids (Whelan/Whitehead) for two better deep sitting mids and expecting Walters to fill the hole behind the striker still. I love the addition of Huddlestone but I was naturally thinking we were going for a more agile attacking mid. Nevertheless, a great addition and I hope he doesnt get any recurring injury woes. Would love to see a nimble striker added now - but if not then isn't it time Jerome got a decent run in the team? Surely he should be at least given the chance to prove he is good enough. Also, and I dont want to end on a low point as this is a great signing, but I am guessing this means the whole Palacios game is over. Maybe we can try and ship him before we cant even offload to a Championship team.
All the TP haters should at least acknowledge that he is again shifting things in the right direction (funny how they dont post when something positive happens - maybe they can use their time to actually better themselves and their miserable lives).”
by talk212
Friday, August 24 2012, 12:15AM
“get mick owen in and also patterson back”