Stoke City players would welcome the arrival of Joey Barton from Newcastle United.
The Sunday Mirror says Tony Pulis has got the backing of his dressing room to sign Newcastle's controversial midfielder Joey Barton.
Stoke boss Pulis will make a fresh move this week to sign the 28-year-old who was told he could leave St James' Park on a free following his Twitter row.
With the transfer deadline approaching, Pulis still wants to beef up his midfield - and bring in another striker - to make his squad strong enough to deal with Stoke's Europa League and Premier League fixture list .
Experienced defender Danny Higginbotham said: "I don't know about the manager's plans, but I do know that Joey is a very good player.
"He is one of those who are awful to play against because he's always in the thick of the game, and to have him as a team-mate would be something that a lot of players would be very happy about."
