'I'M SO SORRY' - STEVE SIDWELL REVEALS HOW BREAK IN SCUPPERED STOKE CITY MOVE UNDER TONY PULIS
It is 20 years ago now since Tony Pulis first tried to get his claws into Steve Sidwell, almost literally, but missed out when someone broke into the midfielder's car.
The then Stoke City boss made a beeline for Sidwell, who had come through the ranks at Arsenal, winning the FA Youth Cup in 2000 and 2001, and had shown his potential with loan spells at Brentford - where he lost to Stoke in the Division Two play-off final - and Brighton.
Pulis showed him around the stadium in January 2003 but soon admitted to the Sentinel that Stoke wouldn't be able to compete with Reading for "the Croydon boy" in terms of wages of geography.
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Now Sidwell, who eventually did join Stoke in the Premier League in 2015, has given his side of the story in the latest episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast.
"I nearly signed for (Pulis) at Stoke, years and years ago," he said.
"We were across the table [from one another] and he lent over and (pinched my cheek and said,) 'We need to get rid of some of this puppy fat, son.'
"I was like, 'Wow', and I'm like trim as well, I'm thinking, 'Jeez, pre-season's going to be brutal.' It never came about.
"What happened as well, when I got back to my car, I parked at the stadium at Stoke, someone tried to break into my car - they did break into my car. The back window was all smashed in. At the stadium!
"(The Stoke staff) were all apologetic, they came out and said, 'I'm so sorry, hopefully this doesn't affect whether you're going to sign for us,' and I'm like, 'No, of course not.' - then jumped in the car thinking there's no ****ing way I'm signing for them!"
Pulis did sign Sidwell's Arsenal Youth Cup teammate John Halls for Stoke in 2003 and Seb Svard in 2004. Halls went on to join Sidwell at Reading in 2006.
It was Mark Hughes - who also signed him for Fulham - in charge by the time Sidwell finally became a Potter - with Stoke having just relegated his Fulham side.
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2023-06-02T07:48:51Z dg43tfdfdgfd