Stoke City Football Club

• Nickname:Potters
• Founded:1863
• Manager:Tony Pulis

• Ground:Britannia Stadium
• Capacity:28218

Pulis: Potters wanted Cuellar

13 Aug 2008 - 13:15:36

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Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has confirmed that his club came close to signing defender Carlos Cuellar, who eventually left Rangers to sign for Aston Villa.

The 26-year-old Spaniard signed for Villa in a £7.8million deal, with Pulis admitting that the Potters could not compete financially with their Midlands rivals.

He told The Sentinel: "We did come close to signing Carlos Cuellar.

"We did make enquiries and I was more than confident. But once you hear that a club of Villa's size are in for him big time, you clearly fear the worst.

"Of course it's disappointing, but there is no point dwelling on it. We are out there not just looking, but making serious attempts to bring new faces in.

"No-one needs to tell me what we need and when we need it by, but I will not be panicked into doing the wrong deals for this football club.

"And by wrong I mean in a footballing and financial sense."