Stoke City agree deal to sign right back Glen Johnson
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Mark Hughes has once again pounced in the transfer window to land a coup for the Potters, (evens with Coral for a top 10 Premier League finish next term) after agreeing a deal to sign Glen Johnson.
The 30-year-old whose contract with Liverpool expired at the end of last season has signed a two-year deal with the option for a third.
Hughes expressed his delight at the signing: “Glen will be a fantastic addition to our squad.
“He commanded a huge transfer fee when he left Portsmouth for Liverpool (£18m) but dealt with the pressure that comes with that.
“He’s a talented defender who also chips in with goals as we discovered last season when he scored the winner against us at Anfield.
“Having spoken to him I know how much he’s looking forward to being a Stoke player.”
Johnson moved to Liverpool for £17.5m in 2009 and swiftly became the first choice right back for England winning 54 caps, even appearing at the World Cup last summer. He gives Stoke added quality in defence, though is also a threat going forward, especially playing balls into the box.
It has been a busy summer so far at the Britannia, with Stoke bringing in no less than five players to add considerable quality and strength in depth. Johnson joins Marco van Ginkel, Shay Given, Joselu, Philipp Wollscheid and Jakob Haugaard, though it is expected that goalkeeper Asmir Begovic will complete a move to Chelsea.
Hughes expects the transfer to go through sooner rather than later: “I haven’t had an update but my understanding is that he’s likely to travel to Chelsea and that will be concluded.
“Having worked with Asmir, he will back his ability and he would think he will challenge and get game time, or he wouldn’t have gone there.
“He’s a confident and very accomplished goalkeeper so he’ll push whoever’s the number one very, very hard.”
