Stoke City will have a crucial summer following another poor season in the Championship.

Stoke were as high as second in the table in late November following an amazing start to the season, but they plummeted down the table after a terrible second half of the season in which they won only six of their last 29 games, finishing in 17th position.

Last month, speculation about Mark Robins’ future grew, with Portsmouth’s John Mousinho being mentioned as a prospective replacement, but the Potters remain confident in the 56-year-old.

As Stoke begin their summer rebuild, midfielders Lewis Baker and Steven N’Zonzi have been released from their contracts, while star goalkeeper Viktor Johansson has signed a new four-year contract.

So far this summer, the Potters have made one acquisition, with forward Milan Smit joining on a permanent basis from Go Ahead Eagles for a reported amount of €5.5 million (£4.8 million) following his loan term, but no fresh faces have arrived at the Bet365 Stadium.

Stoke are rumoured to be on the verge of signing former Sheffield United loanee Djibril Soumare from Braga for £3.7 million, and it appears that the midfielder will not be the only addition, with sporting director Jon Walters hinting at a busy summer ahead.

Jon Walters made an interesting Stoke City transfer claim.

Stoke City’s transfer activity has been delayed by the World Cup, but the club is nearing completion on several signings, according to Walters.Walters told BBC Radio Stoke that he hopes to sign a large number of players before pre-season begins.It doesn’t always happen that way.

The World Cup slowed things down for many individuals. The Premier League often sets the pace for the rest of the market, so if they slow down, it will have an impact on everything.Several things are about to happen. If clubs are ready to do it quickly, that is fantastic; I want to bring players in as soon as possible so that coaches have the best chance.”

After the Potters ended in the bottom half of the Championship for the seventh consecutive season, Walters admitted faults in the transfer market last summer, but promised to sign players with the proper profile for a promotion push this time around.I constantly plan for every possible circumstance. What happens if we lose X player tomorrow.

“What if that player is sold for X amount?” Walters asked.You need to do this so that you have hundreds of players in your thoughts. You are aware of the identity you are attempting to establish within the football club. “It’s not as simple as snapping fingers.”We might include some of the top Premier League players on our list.

We cannot afford them as they will cost £30-40 million, so be realistic.We look back to last year and say, ‘OK, we got things wrong in terms of maybe a little of identity on the pitch, maybe a bit of profile a player, we’re really lacking that what pushes us out of the Championship’ – that’s what this league needs, but also what Stoke City needs.”