Sorrow For Sorro?

Is Thomas Sorensen looking to quit? Apparently he is! The Great Dane wants to leave the Britannia Stadium in order to save his international career with Denmark.

Sorensen has recently lost out on the Stoke number 1 spot to Bosnian youngster Asmir Begovic, so the 34-year-old goalkeeper is worried that Denmark manager Morten Olsen will drop him from his squad.

Sorensen so far has 91 caps for his country, which means he only needs 9 more for the sought after 100 caps. But he fears his lack of first team play could jeopardise his chances of reaching that landmark. The 6`5" Dane faces a tall order to compete with most capped keeper and player Peter Schmeichel, who had a total of 128 caps under his belt when he retired from international football in 2001. So instead, Sorensen wants to make a stand and reinforce his position as 2nd most capped goalkeeper for his nation.

Former Black Cat Thomas signed for the Potters when his Aston Villa contract expired in the summer of 2008. He made 35 appearances during Stoke`s very first season in the Barclays Premier League, and has proved to be a vital player, and a huge bargain for Tony Pulis. He went on to make 38 appearances in all competitions the following season, and has so far played 9 games for this campaign.

However his last appearance was at home against Manchester United on the 24th October, where Stoke lost 2-1. An elbow injury before the next league fixture against Everton meant that Begovic would step in for Sorensen while he recovered, but he hasn`t returned since and has had to settle for a place on the bench. As long as Begovic continues to provide a headache for Pulis with his good performances, Sorensen may not filter though for a while yet.

Although he has one more year left on his contract, Thomas told his agent to hunt for a new club for guaranteed first-team football so he can keep in top form and make sure he is top of the pecking order for Denmark.

One club who will be keeping an ear to the ground about the Great Dane would be Bayern Munich, who claimed to have an interest in him during the summer. However, rumours have appeared that Copenhagen would be more likely to make a move for him in January when the transfer window latches open.

For me, Thomas Sorensen is a pivotal player for the Potters and it would be a shame for him to leave. He has been arguably one of the best buys for Pulis because (a) he is a world class keeper who has a very credible record, and (b) he was free! Having said that, the opportunity to make a profit on him could be tempting, but I still feel that he is a too valued squad member to let go. No disrespect to Carlo Nash, but he isn`t quite on the same level as Sorensen, and he would be the only back-up to Begovic if the Great Dane did leave. Sorensen must stay in my eyes, because he is an experienced and quality player who still has something to offer, especially as he could be someone for Begovic to look up to.

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