Jon Walters drops new Stoke City transfer update | OneFootball

Stoke City sporting director Jon Walters is hopeful that a busy summer of transfer activity will be ahead at the bet365 Stadium.

It is set to be an important summer for Stoke City after another disappointing season in the Championship.

Stoke sat as high as second in the table in late November after an excellent start to last season, but they slid down the table after a poor second half of the campaign that saw them win just six of their last 29 games, eventually finishing in 17th place.

Speculation over the future of manager Mark Robins began to increase last month, with Portsmouth's John Mousinho said to have been under consideration as a possible replacement, but the Potters are keeping faith with the 56-year-old.

As Stoke begin their summer rebuild, midfield duo Lewis Baker and Steven N'Zonzi have both been released at the end of their contracts, while they have tied down star goalkeeper Viktor Johansson to a new four-year contract.

The Potters have made one signing so far this summer, with forward Milan Smit completing a permanent move from Go Ahead Eagles for a reported fee of €5.5 million (£4.8 million) after his loan spell, but no new faces have yet arrived at the bet365 Stadium.

Stoke are believed to be on the verge of signing former Sheffield United loanee Djibril Soumare from Braga for a fee of £3.7 million, and it seems the midfielder may not be the only incoming, with sporting director Jon Walters hinting that a busy summer could be ahead.

Jon Walters makes exciting Stoke City transfer claim

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It may have been a relatively quiet start to the summer for Stoke, with Walters admitting that the World Cup has caused delays to their transfer business, but he revealed that the club are close to getting a number of deals over the line.

"I hope to get a lot of signings in before pre-season, that's my wish," Walters told BBC Radio Stoke.

"It doesn't always happen like that. The World Cup slowed things down for people. What happens with Premier League usually dictates what comes above you - if they're slower that will have a knock-on effect to every part of the market.

"We're close to a few things happening. If clubs are willing to do it quickly, great, I want to do it quickly, I want to get players in because I want to give coaches the best chance."

After the Potters finished in the bottom half of the Championship for the eighth consecutive season, Walters conceded that mistakes were made in the transfer market last summer, but he promised to recruit players with the right profile for a promotion push this time around.

"I always plan for every scenario. What if we lose X player tomorrow? What if that player gets sold for X amount?," Walters said.

"You've got to do that so you have hundreds of players in your head. You know the identity you're trying to bring to the football club. It's not as easy as snapping your fingers.

"We could throw some of the best Premier League players on our list. They're unattainable to us, because they're going to cost £30-40m, so you've got to be realistic.

"We look at probably last year and go, 'OK, we got things wrong in maybe a bit of identity on the pitch, maybe a bit of profile a player, we're really lacking that what gets us out the Championship' - that's what this league needs but also that's what Stoke City needs."

Mark Robins and Jon Walters facing big Stoke City pressure

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Amid reports that the club were plotting a move for Mousinho, it had seemed that Robins' position at Stoke was under serious threat, but after being given the opportunity to remain in charge, he must turn his side's fortunes around.

The Potters looked to be making progress during Robins' first year in charge, but another second half of the season collapse saw them drop out of promotion contention, and they may have been dragged into a relegation battle had the campaign gone on any longer.

While there will be plenty of focus on Robins in the early stages of next season, Walters will also come in for strong criticism if Stoke