Norwich manager Glenn Roeder says he simply could not compete for Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi as the fee Stoke have paid "is incredible".Roeder managed Ameobi during his spell at St James' Park and was keen to land his services for the Canaries only to miss out to the Championship leaders.

He said: "I would have liked Shola here but I was consistently told by Sam Allardyce and then Kevin Keegan that he would not be let out on loan and that he had a future at Newcastle.

"We were always promised a phone call if and when that changed and I found out at seven o'clock on Thursday morning that he was travelling down to Stoke to tie up a loan deal until the end of the season.

"I spoke to Dennis Wise at length and if he is telling me the truth the amount of loan fee that Stoke have paid is incredible.

"I have personally never heard of a higher fee for such a short period of time. Obviously Stoke are gambling that Shola can shoot them up into the Premier League automatically."

Roeder also claims that Stoke have agreed a deal worth a potential £5million to sign Ameobi permanently should they go up, with other reports suggesting the initial fee would be around £3million.

"He [Wise] is telling me that it's attached to potentially a £5 million transfer deal. And I've got to take him for his word," added Roeder.

"I know Dennis reasonably well and that's what he was telling me. I'm not obliged to say what Stoke's business is with Newcastle, but it's mind-boggling the amount of money he's told me that Stoke have gambled on Shola to get them in the Premiership.

"Because I believe if they don't do it, there's no way that Stoke - as a Championship side - are going to carry through paying £5 million for a striker that's going to be in the Championship next year."

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