By Martin Spinks | Email to a friend | Digg |
Published: Wednesday 07 Jan 2009
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Potters agree fee for West Ham midfielder

STOKE City are close to completing the signing of West Ham winger Matthew Etherington after agreeing a fee of around £3m with their Premier League rivals.
The 27-year-old will become City’s first capture of the January transfer window if the deal goes through and fill their long-standing vacancy on the left of midfield.

However, a busy month of transfer activity could also see Stoke’s strike options bolstered by the arrival of £2m Marlon Harewood from Aston Villa, plus £1m long-term target Henri Camara from Wigan.

Etherington has been at West Ham for five years after moving from Tottenham as part of the deal which took striker Frederic Kanoute to White Hart Lane.

He began his career at Peterborough before moving to Spurs for £500,000 in 1999. He made 51 appearances at White Hart Lane before his switch to West Ham to become a mainstay of the side which won promotion after two seasons in the Championship.

He has made 195 appearances for the Hammers, including 13 in the Premier League this season, but has fallen down the pecking order at Upton Park since the arrival of new manager Gianfranco Zola.

Stoke have been linked with a number of left-wing targets, including Cardiff’s Wales international Joe Ledley.

But the capture of Etherington would bring pace, creativity and top-flight experience to the problem left-sided position.

He could also sign in time for Saturday’s home game with league leaders Liverpool, boosting a City side which has only scored once in their last five games.

Meanwhile, Stoke have put the feelers out for Harewood, it was confirmed today, and they could land him for anywhere between £2m and £2.5m.

The 29-year-old striker would listen to an offer from Stoke, but the final decision on his departure would appear to rest with Villa’s recruitment of a replacement striker.

Harewood’s agent said Stoke, Bolton and Middlesbrough have all inquired about his availability, while Portsmouth, West Brom and Celtic are other possible suitors.

“Stoke are showing an interest in the player,” Phil Sproson said today, “but they will have to buy because Villa won’t loan him. They are looking to sell him in this window if they can, or in the summer if not, but Marlon’s contract runs until the end of next season and so he’s in no hurry from that point of view.

“Villa will listen to realistic offers, but if someone tries to nick him it will not happen. It’s a case of whoever strikes a deal with Villa first will probably get him.”

Sproson, the former Port Vale favourite now acting as a PFA representative for players, says Harewood would have no qualms joining a relegation battle with Stoke.

“Not at all,” he asserted. “That’s the good thing with Marlon. He will talk to anybody who show a realistic interest in him and offer him the chance to stay in the Premier League.

“He’s not in a fantastic rush to leave Villa, but he is missing not playing regularly and is at that stage of his career where he wants to be playing.

“But he understands the situation at Villa. They are a top-five club now and the standard there is unbelievably high. There are England players in front of him in the team.”

Sproson insists his man would be a huge asset to Stoke, despite recent inactivity, and is simply desperate for a regular run in first-team football.

“He scored 19 goals at West Ham one year and has always looked dangerous coming off the bench for Villa. He’s a big, strong lad and is full of energy.

“He can do it, but he needs to be playing five or six games on the trot. Then you’ll get the best out of him because he’s not one of those who can come in and out of the team and just turn it on.

“He’s a very confident player and you saw that when he came on at Gillingham on Sunday and tried to take the penalty off James Milner.”

It is not clear whether Stoke intend to sign Camara and Harewood, or whether the Wigan man is an alternative to the Villa striker.

He was reported to be on his way to Stoke following Wigan’s £4.5m deal for Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega.