Stoke City boss praises Eidur Gudjohnsen
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis is lavishing praise upon the newly signed Eidur Gudjohnsen. The former Chelsea man joined the Potters yesterday from Monaco, while Stoke managed to tie up deals for two other players before the transfer window slammed shut until January, including utility man Marc Wilson from Portsmouth and former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant on a six-month loan deal from Real Zaragoza. But it’s Gudjohnsen who has captured the heart of Pulis, who hopes that the Icelandic forward will inject class and talent into the English Premier League side. He told reporters that, "He's a fantastic player and will provide that little bit more quality that we want. He's looking to come in and make an impact. He's a fantastic professional. To play where he's played and to have that record, that speaks volumes for the lad and his character."
The 31 year-old player is not yet fully fit, but Pulis added that the player will undergo an intensive training and fitness program in order to have him ready for the match against Aston Villa after the break for the international games. Pulis said that, "He'll do a mini pre-season and we hope he'll be close when we play again."
Gudjohnsen started his career with hometown club Valur Reykjavik before winning a move to the Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven in 1995. With PSV Eindhoven, he won the Dutch Cup in 1996 as well as the Eredivisie title in the 1996-97 season. After returning to Iceland with KR Reykjavik, Gudjohnsen made his first move to the EPL with the Bolton Wanderers in 1998.
A spell at Chelsea followed and Gudjohnsen went on to win the EPL title twice, also adding a League Cup and two FA Community Shields to his roster. He netted 78 times in 263 games for the Stamford Bridge outfit across six seasons before moving to La Liga outfit Barcelona. During his time with the Catalan giants, Gudjohnsen won the Spanish league once, and also enjoyed a UEFA Super Cup win, a Copa del Rey victory, a UEFA Champions League glory and two Supercopa de Espana triumphs. The forward has also become the highest goal scorer for Iceland, standing at 24 strikes in 61 appearances since his debut in 1996.
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