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Published: Wednesday 20 Aug 2008
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City close in on loan deal for Ghana winger

By Martin Spinks
martin.spinks@thesentinel.co.uk

STOKE City were on the verge of completing a loan deal for Lokomotiv Moscow’s Ghana international Haminu Dramani today in one of the club’s more intriguing signings of recent times.

The 22-year-old winger trained with City’s first-team squad for the first time yesterday and is on track to appear in Saturday’s matchday 18 against Aston Villa.

Dramani, who played and scored in the 2006 World Cup finals, has been signed by Tony Pulis on the recommendation of assistant boss David Kemp.

“Kempy has watched him out in Russia this summer and likes what he sees,” said Pulis, below. “His judgment of a player is spot on, so I have no problem trusting his opinion.

“He also knows what I like and what we need.

“He tells me he’s quick and can play on either wing. Although he’s only 22, he’s had plenty of experience, so he seems well worth taking a chance on.”

He measures in at only 5ft 8ins and Pulis hopes to take his wee Dram on loan for the season, or until January with an option to extend his stay until next May.

Dramani’s previous ports of call include Red Star Belgrade and leading Turkish outfit Genclerbirligi, impressing sufficiently to attract a 3m bid from Lokomotiv on a four-year contract 12 months ago.

He made his international debut at the age of 19 and has since played nearly 30 times for the west African state, including a goalscoring appearance against the United States in the World Cup finals in Germany two years ago.

He further cemented his reputation and popularity in his homeland by impressing against Brazil 18 months ago before being red-carded in the closing stages of a 1-0 defeat.

Dramani would become the club’s seventh summer signing and the sixth African on the club’s books.

Elsewhere, Pulis is keeping a close eye on developments involving former skipper Danny Higginbotham and Ipswich striker Jon Walters.

Higginbotham has been in talks over a move from Sunderland to Wolves, but hopes that Walters could soon be surplus to requirements at Ipswich have been hit by news that the Tractor Boys have pulled out of a deal for Newcastle’s Shola Ameobi because of a hamstring injury to the former Stoke loanee.

While the onset of Shola Ameobi’s move from Newcastle to Ipswich could grease the wheels for Walters to leave Portman Road.

Meanwhile, Ricardo Fuller has spurned the chance to join his Jamaica team-mates for a World Cup qualifier against Canada this week to concentrate on his return to fitness with Stoke.

“It was his choice, but obviously I was delighted,” said Pulis. “He wanted to stay here to get another week’s solid training under his belt and I’m sure that was the right decision when you consider he’s had so long out over the summer.”

And Fuller’s decision, together with his added sharpness in training this week, will do nothing to weaken his chances of a recall to the starting line-up following last week’s goalscoring appearance from the bench at Bolton.