Mark Hughes did a decent job at Stoke in his first season at the club. But the performance of Tony Pulis at Crystal Palace has highlighted the need for Hughes to impress in a similar manner at Stoke.
He certainly won’t be resting on his laurels this summer and you can imagine there will be some more serious investment from the club once again.
Assessing the transfer odds it’s interesting to note that one top player sticks out as favourite to sign for Stoke this summer.
Brede Hangeland has recently had his contract at Fulham ripped up and he is now a free agent – and a very good one at that.
A tall and powerful player yet very mobile player with an excellent first touch, Hangeland could arguably improve most squads in The Premier League. Stoke are currently joint favourites to sign the player with West Ham at 6/1 with SkyBet.
Having played 91 times for Norway the 32 year old still looks as if he has a lot to offer a Premier League side and we think that Stoke could get an absolute bargain if they make a move for the lad.
Stoke fans: could Hangeland get into and improve the first team?
