In-demand former Portsmouth target reveals surprise factor behind Fratton Park snub after £2m Stoke City switch
Pompey were heavily linked with defender Luke Graham earlier this summer, before the ex-Dundee man chose Stoke City as his next move.
Former Pompey target Luke Graham has revealed the key factor behind his Fratton Park snub following his £2m Stoke City move earlier this month.
After having had a late £1.5m bid rejected by the Dark Blues in the winter market, John Mousinho’s men reignited their pursuit at the start of the window - but faced intense competition from across the globe.
Despite interest from as many as 43 clubs from England, Scotland and on the continent, Pompey and Stoke both had bids accepted by the Scottish Premiership outfit in the £2m region.
He joins the big-spending Potters, who have already signed Swansea City’s Ethan Galbraith for £10m, Go Ahead Eagles striker Milan Smit for £5m, midfielder Djibril Soumare in a £3.8m purchase, Sheffield Wednesday’s Svante Ingelsson for £1m and the capture of Josh Griffiths.
And Graham has revealed the opportunity to work with Mark Robins and his coaching staff was the deciding factor as to why he opted for Stoke over Fratton Park.
Why ex-Pompey target opted for Stoke City
Speaking to The Sentinel, the defender said: ‘A big factor in my coming here is trying to take my game to the next level, and I feel like with the coaches here, this is the perfect place to learn to do that.
‘It's the right time to take that next step in my career and I feel like Stoke's a perfect place to be to do that, there's already been a few big signings already.
‘I just want to keep playing football and learning week in, week out. I think that's the main thing you know, taking stuff from the training pitch onto the pitch on a Saturday.
‘I want to keep enjoying football and just push myself as far as I can go. The main thing I wanted to do growing up was to play for my country. I've been lucky enough to do it at the 21s level, but to kind of take that next step and go and represent the first team would would be amazing
‘I can't wait to get started and play in front of them, you know, I know they come and support in numbers, so I just can't wait to play in front of them and hopefully give them a good impression of myself.’
Pompey and Luke Graham
Pompey pushed hard to secure the defender’s services in January as Mousinho attempted to bolster his backline in January.
Despite registering a £1.5m bid, Dundee remained firm in their stance and rejected the Blues’ offer in order to keep hold of the 22-year-old for the second half of the campaign.
Having already put in the groundwork ahead of the summer, Mousinho’s men reignited their interest when the shutters come off the window in June.
Despite fending off interest from across the globe, Pompey agreed a fee with the Dark Blues as well as personal terms before he chose Stoke as his next destination.
Mousinho still has six options at the heart of defence, although the figure is expected to change as the head coach assembles his squad for the new season.