Robbie Earle has backed Stoke City's move for Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone.
Earle wrote in The Sentinel: "Don't be misled by the fact Spurs midfielder Huddlestone is 6ft 2in and built like a brick outhouse.
"This lad is a play-maker first and foremost who would bring more silk than steel to the Stoke midfield.
"He's not in the same mould as another recruit from Tottenham, Wilson Palacios, who even at the top of his form and fitness would be more of the dog-of-war style midfielder that Stoke fans have become used to watching.
"No, Huddlestone's strength is his technical ability and his range of passing, with either foot.
"In the current side, if one of Stoke's strikers makes a run they probably have a 50 per cent chance of getting the ball delivered into their path by the midfield.
"With Huddlestone in the side, those chances would leap to around 75 per cent."