Tony Pulis believes the arrival of Peter Crouch has helped push his Stoke side to the next level.
England man's professionalism has brought best out of team-mates
Tony Pulis believes the arrival of Peter Crouch has helped push his Stoke side to the next level.
The Potters have set their sights on securing their first-ever top-half finish in the Premier League having strengthened their grip on eighth place with Monday's 2-1 win at Blackburn.
Crouch bagged a brace to reach 101 Premier League goals and pass Jon Walters as the club's top scorer this season with eight in all competitions.
The 30-year-old arrived at the Britannia last summer in a £10million move from Tottenham and manager Pulis reckons the England striker is as good as ever.
"If you look at his running stats, he's up in front of everybody else in our team," he told
Sky Sports News.
"His recovery rate and everything else is just phenomenal. Peter doesn't carry any weight and I don't think he's going to lose his fitness.
Settled
"I think we got Peter at a great time. He's very settled in his life, everything seems to be running smooth for him and he's happy here, he's happy amongst the players.
"The players love him, he's been very good for the dressing room, and when he goes out and trains, he trains properly.
"Other players who've seen what Peter's achieved in his life see him running around and doing things properly.
"It brings them up, and signing him has brought the group up, without a shadow of doubt."
