Tomas Rigo reveals how his move to Stoke City transformed into a transfer saga

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Tomas Rigo finally completed his move to Stoke City at the end of the transfer window after it had become a saga due to how long the Potters were chasing his signature all summer.

The midfielder joined Stoke City from Baník Ostrava, with Rigo being unveiled to the club ahead of their defeat to West Brom.

Since then, he has made two appearances for the Potters in the Championship, helping them to victory over Birmingham City before suffering his first defeat with the club when QPR emerged victorious at the weekend.

Mark Robins was pleased to have signed the Slovakian international; however, he will have been frustrated at how long it took to complete the deal for Rigo.

Now the Slovakian has explained exactly why the negotiations dragged on before he was unveiled to the Stoke City faithful.

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Tomas Rigo had to help Banik Ostrava in their European campaign

The 23-year-old was an essential part of the Banik Ostrava team that qualified for Europe due to their performance in the Czech First League last season.

Progression in European competition can be incredibly lucrative for clubs that are not within the top leagues on the continent, so to have Rigo at the club to help their progression was important.

Speaking to Stoke on Trent Live, he said, “I actually just wanted to finish the transfer because it was sometimes too much for my head, and I needed to focus on matches there, but I knew the signing was close.

“It was hard. I’d agreed with Banik to transfer here, but they just wanted me to play the European matches, and after that it would be done. I believed in that.

“They said after the last match that we played on the Thursday (against Celje) in the Conference League that I could go to Manchester to sign the contract, and I’m happy the deal was done; they kept their word, and the transfer happened.”

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Tomas Rigo is loving life at Stoke City but needs time to adapt

It may be early into his career at Stoke City, but Rigo has loved the warm welcome that he has received from the club and fans.

Rigo understands that he will need time for fans to see the best of him as he gets used to English football.

He explained: “Of course (the difference is) the intensity and challenges on the pitch. I think I’m capable of living with hard challenges, but I have to get used to the intensity because it’s much faster than it was in the Czech Republic. I don’t think it’s going to take long. I’m getting used to it very fast, and in every training and every match it will help me with that.

“I’m feeling very welcome here, and I’m feeling support from the fans, which is giving me much more power and energy on the pitch. I hope I will not let them down and keep my performances high.”