Soccer-Afobe moves to Stoke days after completing Wolves switch
June 12 (Reuters) - Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Benik Afobe has joined second-tier side Stoke City on a six-month loan ahead of a permanent move in January -- just days after signing for the Premier League club, Wolves said on Tuesday.
Democratic Republic of Congo international Afobe joined Wolves on a loan from Bournemouth in January and scored six goals in 17 appearances as the Molineux outfit finished top of the Championship last season and sealed promotion to the top flight.
But after making his transfer permanent on June 1, Wolves have agreed to him moving to Stoke on loan, with an obligation for the Championship side to buy him outright in the January transfer window.
Wolves said Stoke had made "a significant offer" for the 25-year-old.
"Whilst we decided to exercise the option in Benik's loan deal from AFC Bournemouth at the end of the season, Stoke City's interest in signing him was very strong. The end result is positive for all parties," Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell said on the club website http://www.wolves.co.uk.
Stoke were relegated to the second tier after finishing 19th in the league standings last season.
Manager Gary Rowett, who signed Nigerian midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo on Monday, told Stoke's website http://www.stokecityfc.com: "If there’s one signing you want to make to get you out of the Championship Benik is that kind of player."
Afobe said: "The manager is probably the main reason why I'm signing, to be honest. He's very ambitious; he's got a project going on here and I want to be a big part of it.
"I believe it what he is trying to achieve and I want to help us get back where we belong." (Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru, Editing by Neville Dalton)
