Tony Pulis is prepared to be patient - even if it means starting the season with no more new signings.
Stoke boss willing to wait for the right man
Stoke boss Tony Pulis is prepared to be patient this summer - even if it means starting the season with no more new signings.
Most Premier League clubs have made few moves in the summer transfer market, with midfielder Dean Whitehead being Stoke's only recruit so far.
But Pulis expects a flurry of activity before the transfer window shuts at the end of August and the Potters chief will be poised to pounce.
"The market will liven up, but we just have to be patient," he told
The Sentinel.
"It's important we get the right players. If we miss the first three or four games of the Premier League because players are hanging on for something better, then so be it.
Reputation
"I think I've got a reputation for not doing anything until the last minute and I got slaughtered one year for not having a plan B. But we'll see."
Pulis is renowned for some shrewd signings and, in only their second season in the Premier League, he accepts Stoke will have to wait for the game's major players to flex their muscles rather than sparking a transfer merry-go-round themselves.
He added: "We have to wait for others to shake the apples from the tree, then try to make sure we are in a position to react quickly to the apples left on the ground. I'm afraid that's just how it is."
Pulis may also have to make room in his squad and the club are anticipating a decision from Seyi Olofinjana after the midfielder was given permission to talk to Monaco over a £2.5m move.
Several fringe players may also be on their way out, namely Ibrahima Sonko, Michael Tonge, Tom Soares, Andrew Davies, Amdy Faye and Danny Pugh, who all appeared in a reserve team friendly at Newport on Wednesday evening.
