Palacios leaves Spurs for Stoke

Published Aug. 31, 2011 11:22 p.m. ET

foxsports

Stoke raided Premier League rival Tottenham to sign Honduras midfielder Wilson Palacios on Wednesday, adding more international experience to its squad ahead of a first season in European football in 37 years.

The 27-year-old Palacios agreed to a four-year deal with the central English club, moving for an undisclosed fee that was reported in the British media to be around 8 million pounds ($13 million).

Palacios, who featured at last year's World Cup in South Africa, made 85 appearances for Spurs after joining from Wigan in January 2009 but dropped down the pecking order last season, behind fellow holding midfielders Sandro and Tom Huddlestone.

''This is a fantastic deal for the club because Wilson has proved himself to be a top-class performer at the highest level,'' Stoke manager Tony Pulis said. ''He has great energy and the qualities to become a driving force in the middle of the park - the type of player our fans will love.''

Stoke, which will play in the Europa League this season, also completed the signing of Cameron Jerome from relegated Birmingham and was hoping to add another striker in Tottenham's Peter Crouch, who was in talks with the club on Wednesday.

Stoke has already signed former England and Real Madrid center back Jonathan Woodgate from Spurs this summer on a free transfer.