Premier League clubs really do have an awful lot of money.
Who ever thought Stoke City could afford to spend £18.3million (€24million) on a defensive midfielder from Porto?
The Premier League side completed the biggest transfer of an otherwise quiet transfer deadline day by signing Giannelli Imbula.
The 23 year old only joined Porto from Marseille for €20million last summer, but has left the Portuguese giants to move toStoke in a club record fee.
#scfc delighted to confirm the signing of Giannelli Imbula from Porto for £18.3m – https://t.co/lkLqlVUn9F pic.twitter.com/8B5LvfdzGN
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) February 1, 2016
“Giannelli is a good young player,” Stoke manager Mark Hughes said.
“He has great power, good ability on the ball and a great range of passing and there’s no doubt he will add to the quality that we already have at the club. He played against us in pre-season and although I was already aware of him, seeing him at first hand resonated with me.”
Imbula could be seen as a long-term successor to Glenn Whelan.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder has made almost 300 appearances for the Potters, and seen off big money signings in the past to retain his place.
This could be the 32 year old’s biggest challenge though.
