Stoke City splurges ā¬16M on Badou Ndiaye
Stoke City picked up Badou Ndiaye just over two hours before Wednesday's transfer deadline.
The Potters paid ā¬16 million for the Senegalese midfielder, despite him costing Galatasaray around ā¬7.5 million last summer.
The 27-year-old was introduced to Stoke fans during half-time of Wednesday's visit from Watford.
š Welcome to the #Potteries, Badou Ndiaye. #SCFC š“āŖļø pic.twitter.com/uBjIAMJX5J
ā Stoke City FC (@stokecity) January 31, 2018
Stoke had some difficulties in obtaining a work permit for Ndiaye, according to Joe Bernstein of The Daily Mail, because he played in only 10 of Senegal's last 19 matches. That placed him underneath the required threshold for foreign imports, but the Potters somehow managed to get the Football Association to ratify the deal regardless.
Ndiaye scored once and assisted three times in the 2017-18 Turkish Super Lig campaign while playing predominantly as a defensive midfielder for Galatasaray.