Woodgate completes Stoke switch

Stoke have completed the signing of defender Jonathan Woodgate.

The defender left Spurs at the end of last season and has signed a one-year deal pay-as-you play contract at the Potters.

Speaking from the club’s pre-season training camp in Austria, manager Tony Pulis said: “The lad is a top-class player and it’s been well documented that he has had his injury troubles, but we believe that if his fitness is managed properly, he will play games for us.

“We know that other Premier League clubs were keen on signing Jonathan, so we are delighted he has chosen us. It’s a chance we are taking, but one we were keen to take because of the stature and quality of the player.”

He added: “We’ve effectively taken him on a pay-as-you-play deal which just shows how desperate the lad is to get his career back on the right track.”

Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes added: “There is no doubt that we have acquired a player with outstanding quality and experience but he is one who has clearly struggled with injuries over the past two years.

“However, sometimes a fresh start can trigger a change of fortunes. Jonathan has been working very hard throughout the summer on his fitness so he is desperate to make the most of this opportunity and to play in the Premier League.”

“It was important for me to work hard on my fitness during the summer because I wasn’t sure where I would be playing and I knew that would decide my future,” Woodgate said.

“So hopefully I can stay fit now because I feel I still have a lot to offer at this level.

“With the back-up from the medical and sports science department which they have here at Stoke, that can only help my prospects of doing that.”

He added: “I was thrilled when Tony Pulis asked me to come and join the club.

“I’d spoken to him a couple of times about the progress that Stoke have made over the past three seasons and his plans for the future in aiming to build on that success.”

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