Sunderland defender Danny Higginbotham has dismissed speculation linking him with a move back to Stoke.
Defender dismisses Stoke talk
Sunderland defender Danny Higginbotham has dismissed speculation linking him with a move back to Stoke.
Higginbotham left the Potters 12 months ago but there have been rumours that he could be set to return to the Britannia Stadium following their promotion to the Premier League.
However, the 29-year-old has not been contacted by Stoke and he insists he would not be interested in leaving Sunderland anyway.
"I've heard nothing from Stoke. I'm at a huge club here and it's really going places," Higginbotham told the
Sunderland Echo.
"You can see the players we've brought in and I think they're a sign of some big things happening at the football club.
"I'm concentrating on being here. I want to be part of this football club and what it's all about.
"Until anybody tells me different, then I really want to be here."
Potential
Higginbotham has played in all of Sunderland's pre-season games and he is looking forward to playing his part in what he expects to be an exciting season for the club.
Roy Keane has made several signings this summer and Higginbotham is convinced the Black Cats will be able to push on from last season's 15th-placed finish.
He said: "I see a lot of potential here. It gets harder in the Premier League every year, but us staying up last year has created the opportunity to bring the players in that we have this year.
"Hopefully we have the platform now to push on and I really want to be a part of that.
"The new players have not come to be part of a survival scrap - they want a lot more than that and so do all of us."
