Lee Cattermole was involved in somewhat of a saga in the last 24 hours of the transfer window, as Stoke believed they were on the verge of the signing the midfielder before it appeared as if Sunderland had cancelled the deal at the last minute.

A report emerged yesterday suggesting that Sunderland had actually given Stoke permission to Cattermole much earlier in the window but Stoke delayed due to their preference for waiting until the last 24 hours before attempting to complete deals. It's believed Stoke had agreed a fee for the 25-year-old and Cattermole was close to agreeing personal terms before Sunderland pulled the plug on the deal.

The report also claims that Sunderland believe the transfer broke down due to Cattermole wanting a golden handshake before leaving the club, with Gus Poyet hoping to sign Ever Banega as the midfielder's replacement, only for the Argentinian to return to home with Newell's Old Boys.

Not being able to sign a replacement does seem the more likely explanation for the move breaking down but whatever the circumstances are surrounding his possible departure, Poyet is very happy about the fact Cattermole remained on Wearside, despite the recent arrival of Liam Bridcutt;

People who think we didn't want Lee in the squad are wrong, Lee was injured, otherwise he would have played instead of Liam. But we are just very lucky that we managed to sign Liam and I knew he would be able to come straight in.

Cattermole remaining at the club should be seen as a bonus, given Bridcutt being ineligible for the Capital One Cup final and the team looking much better when Ki Sung-Yueng plays in a more advanced role.