Stoke have announced the signing of Bruno Martins Indi from FC Porto, the Dutch defender who spent a successful season with the Potters last time out. Stoke have re-signed the defender on a permanent basis, and now stronger than before.
Martins Indi will cost Stoke just over £7 million, £7.25 million being the exact figure. Both Indi and Stoke will be hoping that this deal will be completed just in time for Stoke’s second game of the season (Everton away).
Stoke had a view to buying Indi on a permanent deal once his loan spell at the club had ended, However, they wanted to get Indi for a slightly cheaper price so they ended up waiting until that option had passed by.
Once Stoke started talking to Porto again about signing the defender, Porto still wanted the fee previously agreed (believed to be around £10 million). Stoke was constantly trying to knock the price down, but was never successful and ended up pulling out of the deal. Once Stoke pulled out of the deal Crystal Palace wanted to pounce, but again, they failed to agree on a deal for the player.
After Palace and Stoke tried to sign the player, no one else stepped up, leaving Porto stuck with Martins Indi. Stoke decided to try their luck one last time with Porto, and that looks to have been a wise decision with the two clubs now agreeing on a deal.
Stoke fans were delighted once they heard that a fee had been agreed, and you can’t blame them. Martins Indi had a brilliant loan spell at the club, putting his body on the line time and time again. He helped Stoke finish 13th in the Premier League, picking up several clean sheets.
This season he will probably be playing in a back 3 at Stoke, with Mark Hughes changing the formation, playing alongside Ryan Shawcross and Kurt Zouma.
This is another fantastic signing for Stoke after completing the signing of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting on Monday. The defence was by far Stoke’s biggest weakness last season, of which Mark Hughes has strengthened this summer by signing Josh Tymon (Hull City) and Kurt Zouma on loan (Chelsea).
Indi adds strength and composure to the Stoke defence, also adding a threat from set pieces. Penny pinching is the term used for Stoke this summer in the transfer market, but you can’t deny the fact that £7.25 million for Martins Indi is looking like a bargain.
