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Joe Allen says he is looking forward to his "best years" and has no regrets swapping Liverpool for Premier League rivals Stoke.
The £13m signing joins midfielder Ramadan Sobhi (£5m from Al Ahly) and defender Ryan Sweeney (£250,000 from AFC Wimbledon) at the Britannia this season, and says he felt it was time to move on after four years at Anfield.
The Wales international told Sky Sports: "It wasn't a difficult decision to move and I'm not looking back with any regrets.
"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.
"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."
The 26-year-old midfielder was unable to convince Reds boss Jurgen Klopp of his worth, despite regularly starting for his country at Euro 2016, where they reached the semi-finals on debut.
"When a new manager comes in, you're hoping you can impress and get in the team. I thought that his style would suit me, but it wasn't quite to be," Allen added.
"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."
