Pulis reveals Adam frustration

Tony Pulis is frustrated at having to wait nearly two weeks before being able to work with Stoke's new signing Charlie Adam.



Pulis gave the Anfield outcast a lifeline on transfer deadline day by signing him for £4 million, convinced Adam, 26, would add a creative spark at the Britannia Stadium.



But the midfielder's international duties for Scotland have left Pulis unable to spend any serious time on the training ground with him ahead of facing Manchester City this weekend.



The Stoke boss has seen Adam in match action against Wigan, but not seen him with his first-team squad at the club's Clayton Wood training complex.



"He only watched us in training the day before the Wigan match and then he was off to play for Scotland straight after," said Pulis. "He hasn't even worked with us yet and that is really, really frustrating with him being a new signing.



"I know these players are top professionals, who can quickly adapt, but they are also playing against top professionals, so you want time with them on the training pitch to prepare. Hopefully, Charlie will come back to us fit and healthy on Thursday after his international commitments. I am sure I am not the only manager bemoaning the fact he has so many players away."



Meanwhile, Pulis has distanced himself from the spat between England manager Roy Hodgson and his striker Peter Crouch.



He has been a long-time supporter of Crouch and firmly believed the £10 million signing from Tottenham should have been part of Hodgson's squad, ahead of Andy Carroll, for Euro 2012.



Hodgson has revealed Crouch refused to go on standby for the squad and has cast doubts over his long-term international future with comments ahead of the 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Ukraine.



Pulis does not want to be drawn into an international row and accepts that Hodgson is in charge of selecting the team.



Elsewhere, Stoke midfielder Michael Tonge is poised to move to Leeds United on loan while Millwall manager Kenny Jackett has enquired about taking Mamady Sidibie on loan.

Adam completes Stoke move

Stoke City have made their first move on transfer deadline day by sealing the signing of Scottish international Charlie Adam from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old former Glasgow Rangers and Blackpool midfielder put pen-to-paper on a four-year contract after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical at the Club’s Clayton Wood Training Ground in the countdown to today’s transfer deadline.



Adam’s move was sealed before midday which hopefully means that he will be available for Saturday’s Premier League match at Wigan Athletic.



Manager Tony Pulis was delighted with the addition to his squad, not only in terms of strengthening his midfield department but bringing goals to the Club.



“It’s no secret that we’ve been looking to bring more goals to the squad and Charlie is a fantastic signing in that respect,” commented City’s manager.



“Not only will his creativity and his eye for delivering a pass be a great asset to us, he scored twelve goals for Blackpool in the Premier League two seasons ago.



“In fact, he scored 28 League goals for Blackpool over two seasons which is a fantastic return for a midfield player. We are looking for more goals from all areas of the team and his arrival gives us more competition for places in that department.”



Adam is relishing the move, saying: “I’m delighted to be here and to be given the opportunity to work with the Club, the manager and the players.”



“This Club’s on the up and it’s great to be a part of it. I hope I can help them to improve upon the success which has been achieved over the past few years.



“Hopefully, we can have a successful time together. I can do this Club proud and I’m looking forward to the chance of playing in front of their passionate supporters.”



Adam becomes City’s fifth signing of the summer and strengthens the Rangers connection following the signings of Maurice Edu and Jamie Ness, while the Potters have also recruited Michael Kightly from Wolves and Geoff Cameron from Houston Dynamo.



Capped 16 times by Scotland, Adam began his career with Glasgow Rangers before becoming Blackpool’s record £500,000 signing three years ago.



He was a key figure in Ian Holloway’s side gaining promotion to the Premier League and then made a big impact in the top-flight for the Seasiders.



That led to him making a £7 million move to Liverpool where he was a regular in their side last season and was part of the team that won the Carling Cup Final by beating Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium back in February this year.

Liverpool eager to offload duo

Liverpool are ready to sell Andy Carroll to West Ham United and Charlie Adam to Stoke in a bid to finance one last push to sign Arsenal forward Theo Walcott.



West Ham have indicated they are still interested in a last-minute deal for Carroll, even though he has made it clear he does not want to leave Anfield.



The two clubs, though, have agreed a £20 million package should the England striker be convinced to change his mind.



That deal would see West Ham take Carroll on a season-long loan initially, paying his £80,000-a-week wages in full, and then sign him permanently for £17 million if they avoid relegation.



The 23-year-old has been told by manager Brendan Rodgers that he will only be a squad player if he stays at Anfield.



Rodgers has given the same message to midfielder Adam, with Stoke understood to have made a bid of around £4 million on Wednesday.



Liverpool's tight financial constraints mean that Rodgers has to sell before he can buy.



"I don't think we are in a position to have £35 million players as third choice strikers," Rodgers said in reference to Carroll's situation.



"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Andy has been a cover player for us in the opening two games."



Walcott had looked likely to leave Arsenal after rejecting a new contract with only a year to run on his current deal but the forward has since held private discussions with manager Arsene Wenger over his future.



But Liverpool, who have asked to be kept informed of Walcott's potential availability, are still considering a late bid.



Asked if the club could afford to buy without selling first, Rodgers said: "No. Not at this stage. Obviously, I have seen a lot of the links and it is great that those players would want to come here.



"But the reality is that we are not in a position to do those sorts of deals."