Pulis - Jones took pay cut
Potters boss lifts the lid on record-breaking dealwww.skysports.comTony Pulis has revealed that Kenwyne Jones took a significant pay cut upon joining Stoke City.
The Trinidad & Tobago international completed an £8million move to the Britannia Stadium on Wednesday, making him the Potters' record signing.
He has, however, seen his salary slashed, with Stoke unable to match the reported £60,000-a-week deal he was on at Sunderland.
Details of the contract he has penned with the Potters have not been revealed, but Pulis claims Jones' decision to join the club was motivated by ambition not money.
"The wages he was earning at Sunderland we could not afford. He was on quite a bit of money, but he is not on that at Stoke," confirmed Pulis.
Structure
"So they have looked after that as well to enable him to come down to the structure we have at this club, which is very important for us.
"We want to keep it as tight as we can, and we've been able to do that.
"It was as big and an important a factor as the £8million spread over four years.
"It's a point we have to make because I don't want anybody within the club or from outside thinking they can walk in here and their demands are going to be this, that and the other.
"We work very hard on the structure at this club, especially wages, and there was no way we could do the deal unless it conformed with those."
Unplayable
Pulis is delighted to have brought Jones on board and hopes he can help the powerful frontman discover the level of consistency he struggled to achieve during his time at Sunderland.
"He does have the inconsistency about him," added the Stoke manager.
"There were times at Sunderland when he was absolutely outstanding, unplayable, but there were other times when you watched him and you wondered whether it was the same player.
"So it's a question of whether we can get that little bit more out of him, whether he can mature with us and learn from what happened at Sunderland.
"Sometimes you need a fresh start and it might be Kenwyne needs a fresh start, but also we need Kenwyne's help as well. He has to help himself first and foremost."