Keano on his new signing...

Sunderland today announced that the transfer saga over the transfer of sought after youngster Anthony Stokes had ended after the youngster rejected moves to Celtic and Charlton to move to Wearside in a £2.2m deal.

In Keano and Quinn's biggest transfer coup to date, that signals their clearest signs of ambition for the club yet, they persuaded Stokes to reject the lure of Champions League and Premiership football to instead ply his trade in the Championship - at least for now.

For more on what this move signifies regarding the club's ambitions click here

After days of protracted negotiations, Stokes was finally delighted to sign for Roy Keane,


'I spoke to Roy Keane about everything; he told me his hopes for the club, and it made up my mind.

'I'm excited about the move and it's brilliant to be here. It has been a hectic few days, sorting things out, and now I'm looking forward to training and playing.'

Keane was similarly buoyant,

'I'm delighted that Anthony has decided to join us. We've beaten off competition from a number of high-profile clubs for someone who is a good, young player who can hopefully help us in our push for promotion.'

Stokes comes into contention for this Saturday's home game against Ipswich.

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