Chris Lakey Glenn Roeder says the deal which took Shola Ameobi to Championship leaders Stoke City was "mind-boggling" - and that he didn't want to get involved in such a high stakes game.

Chris Lakey

Glenn Roeder says the deal which took Shola Ameobi to Championship leaders Stoke City was "mind-boggling" - and that he didn't want to get involved in such a high stakes game.

The City boss has twice tried to bring the Newcastle striker to Carrow Road but each time was told he was wasting his time.

But when Roeder got wind of Stoke's interest he discovered just what it took to get the 26-year-old away from St James' Park - and a loan fee rumoured to be as high as £250,000, which would rise substantially should Stoke be promoted - was too much for City.

"I spoke to Dennis Wise yesterday - he was too dear," said Roeder. "If he is telling me the truth Stoke have paid an incredible amount of money for a short period of time that is attached to potentially a £5m transfer deal.

"I have to take him for his word, I know Dennis reasonably well and that's what he was telling me. I am not obliged to say what Stoke's business is with Newcastle, but it is mind boggling, the amount of money he has told me that Stoke have gambled for Shola to get them in the Premiership because, I believe, if they don't do it, there isn't any way that Stoke are going to carry through paying £5m for a striker while they are still in the Championship.

"I am not sure I would have wanted to get involved at that amount of money."

Roeder takes his team to Bristol City this afternoon with no new additions and although he confirmed that Ameobi had not been a target as the loan window came to a close at 5pm on Thursday, he revealed just what had sparked his interest.

"Lee Clark was told a couple of months ago that first of all Allardyce was not going to loan him then Keegan wasn't going to loan him, but Lee had an agreement with one of the senior coaches that if he was going to go anywhere we'd get a phone call and we never got a phone call, which disappoints me greatly," he said.

"I found out through the back door at seven yesterday morning that Stoke were going to try and sign him on loan until the end of the season and I chased Dennis Wise yesterday morning until I got him on the phone."

Roeder came close to adding to his squad but his target got away, literally at the last minute.

"Right up to five o'clock really - and I am told he went somewhere else at one minute to five, which really has peeved me off," said Roeder.

"I would just have liked this particular player with a view to seeing him with us for six games and deciding whether I want to sign him next year. But it didn't happen and apparently just a few minutes before five he signed for another club in the Championship."