Steve Sidwell admits the presence of Mark Hughes convinced him about moving to Stoke City.
The former Fulham midfielder joined Stoke yesterday on a free transfer.
"There were two factors behind my decision to join Stoke - the first being the fact that it's a club that is really moving forward," Sidwell told stokecityfc.com.
"I was really impressed with the football Stoke played last season; the way they played against Fulham on the penultimate weekend of the season really had a wow factor about it and it led to a first-ever top-10 finish in the Premier League.
"Then there's the manager because he's a man that I have the highest regard for.
"He signed me for Fulham and I really enjoyed the time I worked with him there.
"I like the way he asks his teams to play and his training sessions are good, which makes coming into work on a daily basis really enjoyable.
"I'm really looking forward to the start of pre-season. I've had a holiday and feel really refreshed and ready for an exciting new phase of my career."
