Peter Crouch "surprised" at Chelsea links

Stoke City striker Peter Crouch has admitted that he was "surprised" to see his name linked with Chelsea during the January transfer window.

The Blues were rumoured to be interested in a string of names last month as Antonio Conte looked for a backup to Alvaro Morata, with 37-year-old Crouch at one point touted as their solution up front.

The alleged interest failed to materialise, however, and Conte instead went on to secure the services of Olivier Giroud from London rivals Arsenal.

"So there I was, sat at home a couple of weeks ago, when my phone started to beep and I heard I was trending on Twitter," Crouch recalled in an interview with the Daily Mail. "I didn't expect to see my name linked with Chelsea but that was the situation. It was all speculation, I suppose.

"Of course it was nice to get linked with a club of that stature — particularly as they were the club I used to watch when I was a kid — but I didn't think much more about it. There was never any strong interest. I heard Antonio Conte quite likes me as a player but I was only ever concentrating on Stoke.

"I didn't expect anything to happen and, as it turns out, Chelsea have gone on to make a great signing. I've always admired Olivier Giroud. He's a top striker and maybe he didn't get as many chances as he deserved at Arsenal.

"Conte likes playing with big target men and you only have to think about how he used Graziano Pelle when he was in charge of Italy. He was one of the best signings of the window. I'd go as far as to say they got themselves the division's second best-looking target man!"

During his 20-year senior career, Crouch has notched up 450 appearances in the top flight and also holds the record for the most headed goals in Premier League history.