Transfer news – Kenwyne Jones seals record Stoke move
Published:Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones has completed his £8m move to Stoke having undergone a medical at the club.
Jones becomes Stoke’s record signing, surpassing the £5.5m mark set by Dave Kitson when he joined from Reading in 2008.
A quality striker has been at the top of Stoke manager Tony Pulis’ shopping list all summer, and signing Jones is a firm signal of intent from the Potters.
Stoke, who are 3/1 to finish in the top ten this season, had been linked with West Ham’s Carlton Cole and Nice striker Loic Remy.
But both clubs’ valuation of their respective players exceeded £12m, and Stoke found themselves priced out of potential transfers.
Jones, who is available at 100/1 to be the Premier League’s top scorer this season, signed for Sunderland in a £6m deal from Southampton in 2007.
Muscular, quick and a menace in the air, Jones can be an almighty handful when he is on form, though he is frustratingly inconsistent.
Jones scored nine league goals last season, but the Trinidad and Tobago international could have bagged twice that amount if his finishing was as impressive as his link-up play.
His immense physicality, however, is ideally suited to Stoke’s direct playing style.
Sunderland, meanwhile, have signed Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha on a season-long loan deal.
Onuoha does not figure in Roberto Mancini’s first-team plans following a sweeping summer recruitment drive at Eastlands, but the England Under-21 international will be a good addition to a Sunderland defence recently boosted by the return of John Mensah.
How will Stoke start their season? They are 11/5 to beat Wolves on Saturday. See the full Wolves vs Stoke Match Betting Odds market.
