Birmingham City and Sunderland are outsiders to sign Stoke City’s Peter Crouch according to odds released by Bet Victor.
The 36-year-old striker has been a very useful player for Stoke this season, making 22 appearances and scoring four goals this season which not many would expect considering that he is in the twilight of his career. But Crouch has been linked with a move away during this transfer window and that may be speeded up by the fact Mark Hughes was sacked as head coach and was replaced by Paul Lambert.
Currently, the favourites to sign the 42-capped England striker are Chelsea, which would certainly be an odd signing for a team looking to secure a place in the Champions League. They have been priced at 5/1. The other teams that are behind them in the race are Stoke’s Premier League rivals which include West Ham United (10/1), Crystal Palace (12/1) and Swansea City (12/1).
But it isn’t just teams from the Premier League that the bookies think could sign Crouch during this transfer window. There are also teams in the Sky Bet Championship which have been given odds on signing the former Liverpool striker. The most likely teams from the Championship to sign him are Birmingham and Sunderland who have been given 12/1 odds, the same as the likes of Crystal Palace, Swansea and Newcastle United. Just behind them in the odds are Aston Villa and Wolves who have been priced at 16/1 to sign Crouch before the end of the transfer window. It would be a battle for any of these teams to sign him but it could be worth it to sign an experienced striker.
