Ex-Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen insists he has no regrets over Stoke City transfer

Joe Allen has no regrets about swapping Liverpool for Stoke City this summer. The Welsh midfielder has moved to the Bet365 Stadium for around £13m ($16.8m) and has insisted it "wasn't a difficult decision" to leave in search of first-team football.

Allen, 26, enjoyed a four-year spell at Anfield but is now looking forward to the next stage in his career. "It wasn't a difficult decision to move and I'm not looking back with any regrets," he told Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday.

"I'm excited about the future in my career. At 26, the best years are still in front of me and naturally I'm looking forward to them. I look back and I've got fond memories, it was a huge privilege to play for a club like Liverpool but the timing was right for me to move on."

Allen is excited by the prospect of playing more regularly for his new club than he did at Liverpool. "I was hoping this opportunity [to join Stoke] would come up in the summer, and thankfully it's all worked out well. I'm looking forward to the new chapter in my career," he explained.

The midfielder hopes Stoke's increasingly attack-minded approach will suit his own style of play. "When a new manager comes in, you're hoping you can impress and get in the team," the former Liverpool player said. "I thought that his style would suit me, but it wasn't quite to be. In all fairness, the competition in midfield was tough all season so there's not too many complaints on my part.

"I don't want to be sat twiddling my thumbs on the bench, and I wanted to make sure if I could change it I would."