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Stoke City have completed the signing of forward Bojan Krkic from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee, the club announced on their official site.
The Spaniard put pen to paper on a four year deal at the Britannia stadium in a deal which will see the Blaugranes getting a share of the transfer fee from Stoke if they decide to sell Krkic in the future, courtesy of a sell-on clause.
Tony Scholes, Stoke’s chief executive was ecstatic at having been able to bring such a talent to his club.
Speaking to Stoke’s official site, Scholes said: "We are delighted to have signed such a richly talented and exciting player, who is still only 23.
"A number of other clubs had expressed an interest in him, but Bojan believes joining Stoke City will benefit his career and we have no doubts he will prove to be a wonderful addition to our squad.
"The signing of Bojan, along with the other players we have recruited ahead of the new season, underlines the progress we are making as a Club."
However, for all the talent that Krkic posseses, his career graph has gone spiralling down ever since making his debut for the Catalans at the age of 17.
Another young talent from the famed La Masia, his rise to prominence at such a tender age brought on obvious comparisons with Lionel Messi and was regarded by many as the “next big thing” in Spanish football.
A combination of injuries, change in management and poor displays had seen him out of the team at Barcelona. Krkic in fact can be said to have become a wanderer of sorts in recent years with successive loan spells at AC Milan, AS Roma and Ajax.
But his performances weren’t good enough for any of the clubs to come calling for a permanent deal for the player.
The move sees Krkic finally leave the Camp Nou as he makes his way to the English Premier League.
Mark Hughes will be hoping to bring the best out of the ex-Barca star and help the Potters kick on from their 9th place finish in last year’s Premier League. The ex-Manchester City manager also seemed excited on hearing the news of the capture of the 23 year old.
“Anyone who knows European football will be aware of him as a player and the fact that he sees his future at Stoke City is really exciting and an endorsement of the Club itself,” said the Stoke manager in an interview to the club’s official site.
“He's desperate to prove himself in the Premier League and we're pleased to be able to offer him that platform.”
“The time he spends with the squad in Germany will help him settle in and will give myself and the coaches the chance to take a good look at him.”
