Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has said that he is "delighted" that Bojan Krkic has committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new contract.
The former Barcelona playmaker penned a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Potters earlier this afternoon to keep him at the Britannia Stadium until the summer of 2020.
Bojan's form led to some speculation that he could be of interest to a number of clubs in the recent transfer window, but Hughes insists that he was never worried about the 25-year-old leaving.
"Bojan is a big player for us so this is good news for everybody at Stoke City. We all feel that at 25 he's going to be moving into the best years of his career and we're going to benefit from that by him being here," Hughes told reporters.
"We always knew that we were in a good place speaking to Bojan and his people and we had a genuine feeling that this was the best place for him at this point in his career. He likes being here, likes what we're doing and wants to be part of what we hope to do in the future; we never really felt at any point that there was any danger of him leaving.
"Everybody's contract negotiations are different in terms of length of negotiation time and sometimes they can take a little bit longer. We are delighted it's done, it's been ongoing for a number of months and its now finally over the line."
Hughes also suggested that the deal was a statement of intent from the club, and hopes that it convinces other players such as Marko Arnautovic to also put pen to paper.
"I think it is a message to everybody that we have a lot to offer here," he added.
"We are a side trying to progress, bring good players in and improve what we are capable of. When guys who have done well for me re-contract and commit once again, that is a message for everyone."
Stoke take on Bournemouth on Saturday looking to end a three-match losing streak in which they have failed to score a single goal.
Barney Corkhill
