Stoke rejected Aston Villa offer for top-passer Glen Whelan, confirms Mark Hughes
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Stoke City manager Mark Hughes confirmed Aston Villa are interested in signing midfielder Glenn Whelan.
The 33-year-old Irish midfielder has one year left on his present deal with the Staffordshire-based club and the likelihood of a departure this summer continues to grow.
As a consequence he has been linked with a move away, but Villa’s initial £500k offer was rebuffed.
However, Hughes feels they could return and the Birmingham team will provide Whelan at this stage of his career better “security”.
“I’m not sure where we’re up to with Glenn,” he told the Stoke Sentinel. “Aston Villa made an initial bid which was rejected out of hand.
“It’s a little bit of a similar situation to Jon Walters (who joined Burnley) really in that at this stage of Glenn’s career he’s probably looking for a little more security.
“That may be being offered at Aston Villa.
“I don’t think they’ve been back since with an increased offer, it’s gone a little bit quiet I think.”
Glenn Whelan: Stoke’s pass master
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A transfer would mean Whelan ending a nine-year association with Stoke, where for the last five seasons he’s been their pass master, having completed 4034 passes 1070 since August 2012 more than second place Erik Pieters (2964).
It was no different across last season as Whelan, who averaged 45.2 passes per game with a passing accuracy of 85%, produced 1159 total passes – again the team’s most prolific in this aspect with Joe Allen behind on 1040.
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Glenn Whelan averaged a passing accuracy of 85% last season.
Whelan, a former Manchester City youth graduate, initially joined Stoke from Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 2008.
He would ultimately go on to represent the club on 337 occasions registering eight goals and creating a further 22 across 10 season with all but one being in the Premier League.
A regular presence in Hughes’ team last season, only missing eight league matches, his only contribution in terms of goals was an assist that came during their 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough in March.
Whelan’s current deal expires in June 2018 having signed his last contract extension in July 2016.
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