Jon Walters drops Stoke City transfer claim - Mark Robins will surely agree | OneFootball

The Potters chief has been speaking on the club's summer transfer strategy.

Stoke City sporting director Jonathan Walters has revealed signing players early was a key part of the Potters' summer transfer strategy, and Mark Robins will surely be in agreement.

Only West Brom and Middlesbrough have enjoyed better starts to the 25/26 Championship season than Stoke City.

As such, there is a real sense of optimism and belief building in the Potteries over their chances of winning Premier League promotion this term; a feeling that has been absent in that part of the world for a number of years now.

However, Robins' side looks to be well-equipped for a big campaign, which has been helped by a strong summer of recruitment at the bet365 Stadium.

"Mainly hit all our targets" - Jon Walters drops confident Stoke City transfer claim

With the summer window now closed, coaches and club chiefs are taking stock of the business their club has been able to do over the last few months.

Stoke City made 10 new signings this summer, with the vast majority of those coming well in advance of the 7pm deadline on 1 September.

Indeed, central midfielder Tomas Rigo was the only senior signing made in the final two weeks of the summer transfer window, with the 23-year-old joining from Czech outfit Banik Ostrava.

This wasn't by fluke either, quite the opposite in fact, as Walters has revealed that getting players through the door early was by design.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke via BBC Sport, the Potters director said: "We mainly hit all our main targets and players that we targeted with the recruitment team, with the coaching staff.

"To get (players) in early helps them settle, whether they're moving from a different country, whether it settles the family.

"There's a lot of things that go into it to have a player settle at the club but then get to know everyone here get them integrated into how we train, how we play and the coaches always want them early.

"(We considered] how they fit into how we play, is there a space for them in the team, do we need that type of player and (can they aid in) shaping where we want to see the club evolve."

Mark Robins and Stoke City are already seeing strong returns from early summer signings

Walters' words on the positive impact of getting players in early doors have serious merit too, when you consider some of the early-season exploits from a number of those new recruits.

Sorba Thomas was the first body through the door for Stoke this summer, as the 26-year-old Welsh international penned a three-year deal with the club on 7 June, having joined from Huddersfield Town.

The highly versatile wideman has really hit the ground running in the Potteries, having bagged two goals and three assists from his first four Championship appearances as a Stoke player.

Arriving on 6 July was Divin Mubama, with the 20-year-old striker signing on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City, having previously graduated from West Ham United's academy system.

The England youth international has also got his Potters goals account well and truly started too, with two goals in four second tier outings for the talented young centre-forward so far.

Then there's Aaron Creswell. The highly experienced defender signed as a free agent on 11 July, having been released upon the expiration of his contract at West Ham this summer.

Any doubts regarding his fitness levels and potential to make an impact aged 35 have been swiftly erased, as the former England international has started all four of Stoke's league games so far this term, and looks set to play a key role in Robins' defence this season.

However, signings made closer to the end of the summer window such as Steven Nzonzi and Jamie Donley, haven't as of yet been able to show their best in a Stoke City shirt, with the former yet to make an appearance for the club in his second spell in the Potteries.

Therefore, Robins has clearly been able to get to grips better with some of his earlier signings, and Stoke are reaping huge rewards from that through the opening exchanges of the season.