Blues striker Ali Al-Hamadi has completed his move to Stoke City on loan for the rest of the season.
As reported earlier, the clubs agreed terms on a deal with the player having held talks with the Potters yesterday before passing a medical this morning and finalising the move before the deadline in order to play in tomorrow’s home game against Oxford United.
Stoke are understood to have paid the Blues a substantial loan fee for the move which is purely to the end of the season with no provision to become permanent. The Potters gave assurances that Al-Hamadi would get regular football with Mark Robins’s side.
Earlier in the week, Al-Hamadi held talks with West Brom boss Tony Mowbray with a proposed permanent switch falling through regarding the fee, contrary to reports elsewhere claiming it was due to his medical.
Blues legend Jon Walters, currently the sporting director at Stoke, told his club’s official website: "Strikers of real pedigree are one of the hardest commodities to secure in any transfer window, so to get Ali over the line is a significant boost for us all.
"We know there has been significant interest from other clubs and are delighted he has opted to join Stoke City.
"Ali’s goalscoring record speaks for itself, but it’s his relentless hard-working approach that truly epitomises what we stand for as a club.
"We have no doubt that our fans will take to Ali, and we wish him every success in a Stoke City shirt.”
Al-Hamadi has been Town’s third-choice frontman this season but his only starts came in the cup ties against his former club AFC Wimbledon and Bristol Rovers.
In the summer, the Iraqi international, who had undergone adductor surgery at the end of last season, was close to signing for Derby on loan but the move didn’t happen after Town pulled out of the deal to sign Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea.
A move to a Championship club during January either on loan or permanently has always looked on the cards with the Blues keen to bring in a more senior frontman during this window, although with manager Kieran McKenna having said yesterday that there is no guarantee that will happen before the Monday 3rd February deadline.
Iraq-born, Liverpool raised Al-Hamadi joined Town from AFC Wimbledon in January last year for a fee which, following promotion, rose to around £2 million.
He has made three starts - one in the league - and 24 sub appearances for the Blues, scoring five times. His only goal this season came in the Carabao Cup tie against his old club at Plough Lane in August.
The one-time Wycombe frontman’s departure frees up a space in Town’s 25-man Premier League squad, which has to be resubmitted shortly after the transfer window closes.
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