Osaze Odemwingie has said he is couldn’t resist joining Stoke City after he signed an 18-month deal on Tuesday.
The Nigeria international arrives at the Britannia Stadium desperate to recapture the superb form that he displayed at West Bromwich Albion prior to his summer switch to Cardiff City.
Speaking to Stoke City Player minutes after agreeing the deal he said that Hughes is the perfect manager for him to play under, and feels his best days are still in front of him despite being 32-years-old.
“I have watched many clips of him [Mark Hughes] as a player and I know there is so much that I can learn from him,” the forward said.
“He knew how to score goals and he knew how to be a successful footballer, so the chance to experience working with him at close quarters was incredibly appealing to me.
“I have spoken to people who have played under him and his staff before and they all have great things to say about them, so that was good to hear, and gave me a lot of excitement when I heard of the club’s interest to bring me here.
“In the few days that I have been here I have witnessed it all first hand, and I can see why the other lads have enjoyed working under him so much.”
He added: “I’m delighted to be here, as I said, and am really hoping for a long and successful time with Stoke City.”
Odemwingie admits that things didn’t quite pan out as hoped during his time in South Wales, but is incredibly hopeful of rediscovering his golden touch in the Potteries.
“Maybe in the past few months I didn’t get too many goal-scoring opportunities, but I am sure that will change here at Stoke,” he added.
“One of my strongest qualities is being able to put the ball into the back of the net, with either my right foot or my left foot, and I intend on doing that regularly here.
“I like to get myself into good positions on the field whereby I can get opportunities, and I know that with the quality of players here at the club, there will be days where we do create a lot of chances to score the goals.
“I feel I am a different player to Kenwyne Jones, who went to Cardiff – he is more of a target man, but I am somebody who likes the ball at my feet, and I also like to get in behind the defence as often as possible too.
“I am sure that the manager and his staff know about me and I am certain they will use me to my strengths.
“They are very knowledgeable people and they must feel that I can bring something different to the team. That gives me a lot of confidence and belief in myself.”
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