Juan Agudelo transfer to EPL’s Stoke City confirmed
By Chase Ruttig
Jun 15, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo (10) tries to head the ball during the first half at BC Place stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
New England Revolution striker Juan Agudelo has signed a pre-contract agreement with Stoke City and will join the Premier League club on January 1, ironing out what has been a confusing week or so of transfer rumors regarding the promising USMNT striker and the EPL club.
The Potters, who already have Americans Geoff Cameron, Brek Shea and Maurice Edu on their books, confirmed the news via a statement on their official website on Friday.
Manager Mark Hughes said: “We’ve put a lot of work into this deal, and I am delighted that we have managed to get the deal over the line. It’s a good deal for us, because he is a very good young player who boasts a lot of talent as well as a lot of potential too.
“I’ve known of him for a couple of years now. He burst onto the scene for the United States at the age of 17 and everybody has paid attention to him since. I have kept my eye on him for the last 18 months, and thankfully we were in a position where we were able to pull this deal off.”
Chief Executive Tony Scholes added: “We’ve played against five MLS teams in the last two years and have been consistently impressed with the quality we’ve come up against.
“We’ve already taken two players directly from the MLS in Geoff [Cameron] and Brek [Shea]. Geoff readily adapted to life in the Premier League by making 35 league appearances for us in his first season at the Britannia Stadium. Brek and Maurice [Edu] will be looking to do likewise this season and we’re confident that Juan [Agudelo] will be able to follow suit.”
Agudelo has scored five goals in 11 MLS matches while battling a knee injury this season, and has won 17 caps for the United States. He will be a huge addition for Stoke City who are famous for lacking a scoring punch in favor of defensive play, but are undergoing a rebuilding process under a new manager in Mark Hughes.