Higgy’s Back

  Former Stoke captain Danny Higginbotham has rejoined the club a year after leaving for Sunderland for £3 million. The 29 year old has signed a three year deal for an undisclosed fee believed to be of around £2.25 million.

  Higginbotham, who is equally comfortable at centre back or left back started his career at Manchester United in 1997 where he made just six first team appearances in a three year spell that included a successful year on loan at Royal Antwerp. In August 2000 he moved to Derby County where he spent three years, playing 98 times and scoring four goals before moving to Southampton, playing 106 matches and again scoring ten times.

  In August 2006 he made the switch to Stoke for a fee of around £250,000, making 48 appearances and scoring 7 goals on his way to winning the player of the season award and the club captaincy. He left Stoke a year ago in circumstances that left many Stoke fans bitter, joining Sunderland for considerably more money than Stoke could at the time offer. He made just 22 appearances for sunderland, mostly at left back, deemed by most to be his weaker position, and scoring three goals.

  How things change though, and Stoke now have enough money to tempt him back to the Potteries, where he has stated that he intends to play as a left back. There’s no doubt that Danny was excellent for us in his season here, but that was at a lower level, and his performances weren’t great at Sunderland. Still, he’s a solid signing and a good piece of business for Stoke, making a profit of over £500,000 in just a year.

  Danny will be given the number three shirt.