Stoke City transfer agreement for former £4m Chelsea star was a total bust | OneFootball

Stoke City's deal to sign Eidur Gudjohnsen was incredibly forgettable

Fresh off the back of their second consecutive season in the Premier League, Stoke City, under the guidance of Tony Pulis, were looking to further cement their status as a top-flight regular.

An 11th-place finish the season prior, as well as reaching the FA Cup quarterfinals, meant Stoke headed into the 2010/11 campaign with a huge degree of confidence, and sought after some high-profile names in the transfer market as a result.

The likes of Kenwyne Jones, Jermaine Pennant, Marc Wilson, and Jonathan Walters all joined the club on permanent deals. However, arguably the biggest name out of the lot was the loan signing of a former Chelsea and Iceland star.

There was a massive sense of optimism surrounding the bet365 Stadium - then better known as the Britannia Stadium- upon this star’s arrival, though his addition into the squad certainly fell well short of the impact that Pulis and many Potters fans were hoping for, as his whole time at the club is a sincerely forgettable spell.

Eidur Gudjohnsen joined Stoke City on loan from Monaco

In the early days of Stoke’s Premier League era, Pulis made a habit of signing ageing stars to come in and boost the club’s profile, but more so to benefit from their presence around the place, both on and off the pitch.

The likes of Matthew Upson, Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Owen, and John Carew are just a few of the veterans who were signed under the watch of the Welshman over the years. However, Gudjohnsen was somewhat of a pioneer in the Potteries for this type of signing, which is something Pulis maybe should’ve learned from after the way things panned out.

The Icelandic international had previously shone in England, most notably with Chelsea, whom he moved to for £4 million, and before then Bolton Wanderers, making 263 appearances for the Blues across all competitions, scoring 78 and assisting 41.

Three years at the Camp Nou with Barcelona followed his Chelsea stint, and after a disappointing season with Monaco, Gudjohsen joined Spurs on loan for the 2009/10 season, before then making the move to Staffordshire the summer after in a permanent switch.

Incidentally, his only goal for Spurs came against his next club, and upon his arrival, Pulis said: “The lad desperately wanted to come back and play in the Premier League and he is eager to make his mark at this level again, so he now has an excellent opportunity to achieve that ambition here and help the club move forward.”

Gudjohnsen added: “I had many options from all over the world and it went down to the last minute.

“They're showing a lot of ambition. They've signed a few players this summer. They're a team to be reckoned with.

“It's not an easy place to come and get points. I hope to add a little bit of quality and experience.”

Having struggled for game-time over the past year or so, the Icelandic was lacking fitness and therefore was unable to jump straight into action.

He’d make his first appearance for Stoke off the bench in a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham, coming on as a late substitute, and would follow that up by once again coming off the bench in the next game, a 2-1 win away to Newcastle United, although his impact left a lot to be desired.

As it would turn out, his 23-minute cameo off the bench at St James’ Park would be his longest time spent in a Stoke shirt in the Premier League, as he would make just two appearances thereafter, both off the bench, coming in a 2-1 away loss to former club Bolton Wanderers and a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United.

From there, the man who cost Chelsea £4 million from Bolton back in the summer of 2000 would be limited to a place on the bench for the rest of the first half of the campaign, as when January rolled around, he was keen to look for a way out, which is what he got, ending his brief and disappointing stint with the Potters.

Eidur Gudjohnsen’s move to Stoke City fell flat - the Iceland icon delivered very little

As far as Stoke and likely Gudjohnsen are concerned, his time in the Potteries was a huge waste of time, ending his time in the red and white colours with just four league appearances to his name.

After his time with Stoke came to an end, he would spend six months back in West London on loan with Fulham, before spells in Greece, Belgium, China, Norway, and India saw his career come to a close.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Icelandic footballers of all time, Gudjohnsen’s 23-year career in professional football experienced some incredible highs, with titles in each of the Netherlands, England and Spain, as well as being a part of Barcelona’s Champions League winning side in 2009.

Fortunately for Gudjohsen, he will always be remembered for his exploits at the pinnacle of the game rather than his disappointing and brief spell with Stoke, something which he and Potters fans alike probably have largely forgotten even happened.