Aston Villa decision allowed Stoke City to strike transfer gold - He proved priceless | OneFootball

Thomas Sorensen lost his number one spot at Aston Villa, allowing Stoke to swoop in for a transfer steal.

Thomas Sorensen signed for Stoke City in July 2008 on a free transfer from Aston Villa following the Potters' promotion to the Premier League for the first time.

Under the leadership of Irish manager Martin O'Neill, Danish keeper Sorensen lost his place as Aston Villa's number one goalkeeper during the 2007/08 season due to an injury he had suffered in pre-season.

Sorensen had missed just four games in his first three seasons at Villa Park, but after suffering a knee injury the prior season, which kept him out for nine Premier League games, and the culmination of his pre-season injury, the Dane dropped beneath both Scott Carson and Stuart Taylor in the pecking order.

The goalkeeper had established himself as a reliable number one in the Premier League since his move to Sunderland from his native Denmark in 1998, earning promotion from the First Division in his inaugural season at the Stadium of Light.

Sorensen went on to play over 180 times in the North East before his move to Aston Villa, but now found himself third-choice at Villa Park and out of contract at the end of the season. At 32 years old, he left the club upon the expiration of his contract.

Stoke City's swoop for Thomas Sorensen proved to be a masterstroke

Following promotion to the Premier League, Stoke were largely tipped to be one of the favourites for relegation in the 2008/09 season, and manager Tony Pulis sought new recruits to strengthen his side.

In came the likes of Dave Kitson, Abdoulaye Faye and Danny Higginbotham for multi-million pound fees, as well as Sorensen on a free transfer. He signed a three-year deal and instantly became the club's number one, replacing prior starting goalkeeper Steve Simonsen in the process.

The 101-time capped Danish international played an instrumental role in helping the Potters remain in the Premier League in their first season, eventually finishing in 12th place.

Sorensen retained his position as number one in the following campaign, and signed an extension in November 2009 due to his impressive displays, even saving three penalties in four matches during the period where he extended his deal.

The Dane would help Stoke to reach an FA Cup final in 2011, where they narrowly lost out to a free-spending Man City side 1-0, and even reached the Europa League knockout stages.

Sorensen would eventually lose his starting berth to Asmir Begovic after competing with the Bosnian international for a place in the net, and would eventually become a backup option until the expiry of his deal in the summer of 2015.

He'd head down under to link up with Melbourne City in the A-League for the next two seasons before retiring from the sport at the age of 41. With hindsight, his signing remains a Stoke masterstroke and helped to some really successful years for the Potters.

Thomas Sorensen became a Premier League record holder at Stoke City

Sorensen played 129 games for Stoke across all competitions in seven years at the club, with the majority of those coming in his first couple of seasons in the Potteries.

The Dane's heroic performances were fundamental in keeping Stoke in the Premier League, and the Potters almost certainly would have been in a much closer battle for survival without his experience and expertise in goal.

Sorensen holds the record for the most appearances by a Danish player in the Premier League with 363, 50 more than second-placed Peter Schmeichel and almost 100 more than fourth-placed Christian Eriksen.

Joachim Andersen, with 168, and Christian Norgaard, with 122, are the only current Danish players in the Premier League within the top 13, and with neither likely to pass that tally anytime soon, Sorensen's record looks to remain intact for years to come.

Sorensen left Stoke a cult hero for his heroics, and on a free transfer, his signing is as underrated as it was crucial to the Potters' Premier League survival.