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Walters previously said he saw the next 12 months as a time for continued improvement rather than setting defined targets.
But, heading into the new campaign, he is adamant over how the team should shape its identity, with possession and energy key factors.
“If you look at our identity on the football pitch I am not a person that wants a goalkeeper to stand on the ball for 20 seconds
When he was appointed in January 2025, Robins became the club’s seventh permanent manager since relegation from the Premier League in 2018.
Unlike many sides to fall out of the top flight, and despite a healthy budget, the Potters have failed to challenge for promotion in any season since the drop, with a highest finish of 14th.
Hopes were high last October when they were second after 14 games, but
Walters also highlighted the “unique” advantage Stoke have because of chairman John Coates, whose family have pumped millions in the club over the last 20 years and became outright owners in August 2024.
“We’re in a really unique position in that we have an owner who lovers the club, is very wealthy, and wants to back the club as much as he possibly can to get us to the Premier
Stoke City have appointed their former striker Jonathan Walters as technical director after two months in an interim role working alongside head coach Steven Schumacher.
The 40-year-old former Bolton Wanderers, Hull City, Wrexham, Chester City and Ipswich Town player had his best days after joining Stoke in 2010.
Walters announced his retirement as a player while at Burnley in