Middlesbrough defenseman Danny Batth finally ends his stint at "fantastic" Stoke

Boro defender Danny Batth made a final transfer to Stoke.

The imposing central defender joined Middlesbrough as a cover in August on a one year loan agreement.

The parent club Wolves has inserted a clause in the agreement allowing him to call him back only to facilitate a permanent move.

Stoke reacted over the weekend by making an offer of about 3.5 million pounds and Wolves triggered this clause.

Batth, 28, signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the Potters and was unveiled this morning.

It is understood that Boro had the opportunity to adapt the bid and make the transfer from Batth to the Riverside permanent but declined the offer.

Club leaders would prefer to use their resources in this window to move forward with higher goals.

Stuttering Stoke gained momentum in January after the arrival of new boss, Nathan Jones, of Luton.

They also turned the loans of former teammate Batin, Benik Afobe and Ryan Woods, into real agreements.

Boss Jones said, "Danny is a dominant leader of a center. He has an excellent pedigree that was promoted with the wolves last season and is a person who, in our opinion, can move us forward. "

Batth told the Stoke website: "I joined a fantastic club and can not wait to get started.

"The transfer was very fast and I am now looking forward to getting back on track and training with the boys.

"I spoke briefly to the manager, but most of the discussions between a manager and a player are in the field.

"I'm looking forward to it, it will be the center for me, I'm really very happy to be here."

Batth revealed that he had talked to his Wolves mate, Benik Afobe, before promising his future to the Potters.

"I managed to get a few minutes with Benik on the phone," he said. "I played with him twice in different spells at Wolves. I know him very well and we stayed in touch.

"He talked a lot about the club and what the new manager is trying to do.

"As a club, with a fantastic fan base, everything is done so that we can do well."

Batth played 21 times for the Wolves last season while they won the league title, but they were told it would not be part of their plans.

He joined Boro at the end of August and was mainly used for cups and blankets.

He made 13 appearances this season. That included a five-start series in November when Dani Ayala was injured and was particularly impressive with a series of big tackles and blocks in the 0-0 draw at Stoke.

This sequence ended with the 3-0 win at home against Aston Villa.

He also played in four unbeaten championship games after Christmas after an injury to Aden Flint.

His last appearance for Boro was a 1-1 draw between Riverswall and Millwall.