If Stoke could bottle Mark Hughes' charm and sell it, they could be billionaires. After signing a hatful of former Champions League players (and winners), the former Manchester United player has now convinced Porto's highly rated Giannelli Imbula to swap Portugal for Stoke. That deal - worth a massive £18.2m - is now Stoke's record transfer, smashing the previous record of £12m they paid for Xherdan Shaqiri. Stoke had initially pulled out, according to the Mail, after Porto's demands were deemed too excessive, but talks were restarted and now they've signed a hugely talented defensive midfielder who could be the key to allowing some of the more attack-minded players to go forward with more freedom. There's a real possibility they're going to be one of the best teams to watch in the second half of the season. So much for the old Tuesday night cliche, eh? The Frenchman has made only 19 appearances for Porto after signing from Marseille in the summer, but he's done enough to attract Hughes and Stoke's massive pot of gold. Are you happy to see Imbula joining Stoke? Share your assessment below in the comments thread.
