Stoke have completed the permanent signing of Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant following his impressive loan spell at the Premier League club.
Grant has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year contract and moves to the bet365 Stadium for a fee of £1.3 million.
The 33-year-old joined Stoke on a half-season loan in August as cover for Shay Given after an injury to first-choice keeper Jack Butland, but he has gone on to make 16 appearances for Mark Hughes' side, keeping the jersey after getting his chance in September.
"It's a perfect start to the New Year for me, especially on the back of winning the game last night and keeping a clean-sheet too," he told Stoke's official website. "I am just so happy to have it all concluded now because I have been trying to work to this moment from the day I made my debut here.
#SCFC are delighted to announce the £1.3million signing of Lee Grant from Derby on a two-&-a-half-year-deal pic.twitter.com/RMv4Qk2DHN
- Stoke City FC (@stokecity) January 4, 2017
"To a degree I am still pinching myself to be honest, because six months ago I wasn't in a great position in terms of how I felt about the game and where I was in my career.
"Thankfully, Stoke City provided me with this opportunity and I have been able to take it with both hands -- I am just so excited about my future now."
Grant came through the academy system at Derby and made 186 appearances for the club over two spells.
He played 79 times between 2002 and 2007 before returning in the summer of 2013 after stints at Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley.
Grant made a further 107 appearances for Derby and was a mainstay in the team that reached the Championship playoff final in 2014, before Scott Carson became the club's first-choice goalkeeper at the start of the 2015-16 campaign.
