( CNN ) -- Prolific striker Michael Owen was confirmed as a Stoke City player on Wednesday after the English Premier League approved his transfer . Owen was a free agent after being released by Manchester United at the end of last season and had been linked with a number of clubs . But the 32-year-old opted for Stoke , the deal completed right on the Tuesday deadline for clubs to register players to be part of their 25-man English Premier League squads . He was made to sweat until the EPL board ruled he was eligible , leaving Owen to express his relief on his Twitter blog . `` It 's official ! Deal done . I 'm a Stoke player . Ca n't wait to get going , '' he tweeted . Owen , who has agreed a one-year deal , will be paid according to the number of appearances he makes . He has scored 149 goals in the EPL , making him the league 's equal sixth highest scorer since its inception in 1992 . But he is seeking to re-establish his career after failing to make an impact at Manchester United , where he scored 17 goals in 49 appearances spread across three seasons -- most of those in cup competitions or as a substitute . There had been speculation that Owen would rejoin his first club Liverpool , where he scored 18 goals in his first full EPL season and went on to notch 179 in 306 appearances . Owen , who also played for Spanish club Real Madrid before an injury-ravaged return to England with Newcastle , is England 's fourth-highest goal scorer with 40 from 89 international appearances . Liverpool boss Brendan Rogers is looking for a new striker after letting England international Andy Carroll join EPL rivals West Ham on loan for this season . Carroll made an influential debut in Saturday 's 3-0 win over Fulham but went off late with a hamstring injury that will rule him out for six weeks . Liverpool had been linked with another free agent in former Italy international Alessandro Del Piero , but the 37-year-old confirmed on Wednesday that he will be joining Australian club Sydney FC . The former Juventus captain told reporters that Liverpool had been one of the clubs interested , but explained on his website why he decided to move Down Under to the lesser-known A-League as one of its marquee players . `` They really wanted to have me there . They were n't the only ones , but the project they presented , seemed to be specially tailored for me -- it won me over both as an athlete and a person , '' said the veteran striker , who has agreed a two-year contract . `` I was lucky to win everything during my career and to end it in Italy winning once again with the team of my life , Juventus . I was looking for something new , something different , something that would n't have things in common with my past , a totally new experience . And I have found it in Sydney . ''
English Premier League approve transfer of Michael Owen to Stoke City . The 32-year - old free agent signed on Monday after last Friday 's transfer deadline . He has a one - year contract and will be paid according to number of appearances . Former Milan striker Alessandro Del Piero confirms his move to Sydney FC .