Stoke City showed their intent with £12m Spurs signing and got their rewards
Stoke City made waves by deciding to sign Peter Crouch from Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the 2011/12 Premier League campaign, and it turned out to be inspired business.
Tony Pulis’ side were embarking on their fourth season in the top-flight, having finished the previous campaign in 13th position while booking their place in European competition for the first time ever after making it all the way to the 2011 FA Cup final, where they were narrowly defeated by Manchester City.
It all meant that Stoke had begun to cement themselves as a Premier League staple. They were able to take calculated risks in the transfer market and had a certain degree of pulling power, which they used to lure Crouch to the Potteries on transfer deadline day back in the summer of 2011.
Stoke City’s signing of Peter Crouch from Spurs
Stoke made something of a splash at the time by making Crouch their club record signing in a £12 million deal from Tottenham Hotspur.
Crouch, who was 30 when he signed for Stoke, had already enjoyed a remarkable career, scoring 22 goals for England from just 42 caps and proving himself among the most potent and memorable strikers at Premier League level with the likes of Liverpool and Portsmouth.
