Pilgrim's progress in the Championship leads to a fresh chapter with Stoke

IT only took 11 appearances, or 930 minutes, for Maksym Talovierov to convince scouts, managers and spectators that he was a perfect fit for the Championship - and that the Championship is perfect for him.

- Peter Smith

He wants to play in the Premier League, obviously, but he has fallen quickly and deeply for this division with its blood and thunder, fast turnaround between matches against teams who play in all kinds of different styles and the intensity of the passion.

So the 25-year-old, 6ft 4in centre-back-who had broken Plymouth Argyle's transfer record when he signed from LASK in late January - now arrives at Stoke City as one of the key bits of Mark Robins' summer business, ready to drink it all in.

In fact, interviews with media back in Ukraine give the impression that he is an evangelist.

He admits he had initial doubts about moving to Argyle but he is emphatic that it was the right decision, banging the drum for the all-action football at this level and telling readers and reporters to Google Stoke's stadium and training ground for starters.

"LASK had previously received various offers but rejected them," he said in an entertaining chat with UKRfootball.

"They accepted one from Plymouth but I wasn't satisfied with the team's position in the league.

"Later I talked to coach Miron Muslic and he told me about his ambitions, what role he saw for me and it surprised and interested me.

"I think I made the right choice and discovered England for myself. If I could rewind 10 times and be offered 10 times to stay at LASK to see how my career would develop, I would choose the option of going to the Championship every time.

"When I joined the team we had a game the next day. They asked me if I was ready and I immediately concluded that I didn't have time to adapt. If I wanted to prove myself, I had to do it here and now.

"I used to play twice a week in Austria and the Czech Republic but the intensity and level of football is much higher here. There is a huge amount of staff and everyone is concerned about every little thing from recovery to all the football-related things.