Osaze no troublemaker, says Hughes

Osaze Odemwingie
| credits: File cooy

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has revealed how Osaze Odemwingie took his time before signing for the Potters on Tuesday, revealing the striker did not want a repeat of his failed move from West Brom to QPR which occurred last year.

Hughes told the Stoke Sentinel, “He was very aware, when we made contact, that he wanted to make sure everything was correct. He didn’t want to go through what he went through at QPR.

“He had a text and an e-mail from his club (Cardiff) to say it was okay.

“It was an unfortunate episode at QPR and people maybe took a view of him as an individual.

“I think he would admit circumstances weren’t what he wanted, but that wasn’t representative of him as a guy or a footballer.

“I think some people have been blinded by events rather than looking at his ability as a footballer.”

And Hughes is keen to play up those abilities to offset any claims that it was merely a deal of convenience to ship Kenwyne Jones in the opposite direction to Cardiff following his recent refusal to play against Liverpool.

“It’s a deal that facilitates what Cardiff feel they need in terms of a big guy – and what we need is a different kind of player,” Hughes continued.

“We have watched him for many seasons and always been impressed with his ability.

“He’s got a little bit of pace, versatility and a good eye for a goal, so a lot of the boxes we are looking to be ticked, Peter can do that.

“He’s an accomplished goalscorer who will create chances for himself and take chances created by others.

“When I saw him play, he was always a threat in games. As an opposition manager you always had to legislate for him. He’s a good Premier League player and can affect games.”

Hughes also believes there is enough fire in the belly, and mileage left in the legs, despite him being 32.

“He hoped that the Cardiff move was going to get him back on track, but it hasn’t worked out for whatever reason,” explained Hughes.

“But he’s here and ready to go. He’s got a lot of football life left in him and we will benefit from that.

“Thirty-two in this day and age is nothing like 32 when I was playing because they have a lot more knowledge and recovery strategies at clubs.

“So you can add any number of years to your career.”