Michael O’Neill speaks out on Stoke City’s January transfer window

The Potters brought in six new players and let go seven more in a hectic month.

However, with deadline day now having passed, O’Neill has revealed his thoughts on the club’s business.

The former Northern Ireland manager admitted he was happy with the club’s transfer window. However, he claimed that the talking will be done on the pitch before deciding if the club did conduct good business last month. 

“We’re very pleased with what we’ve managed to do,” said O’Neill, via the club’s official website. 

“The proof will be in the pudding I suppose in the remainder of the season but we look a stronger squad, a younger squad coming out of the window than we did going into the window.

“You’re always at your strongest when the players in your building have less time left on their contracts. 

O’Neill expressed his delight at how much easier it was to move players on this window, claiming their shorter contracts actually aided their ability to do business. 

“In the other windows it was more difficult to move players on and bring players in because the players’ contracts and the scale of the players’ contracts were too high for the market they were attracting,” added the 52-year old. 

“If you look at most of the players who have left this club in the last two years, other than the ones who have gone overseas, most have gone to clubs in the division below or the same league but apart from Nathan Collins, no one has left for the Premier League.

“That slowed us down a little bit on where we would like to take the team.”

Stoke secured the signings of Phil Jagielka, Josh Maja, Taylor Harwood-Ellis, Lewis Baker, Jaden Philogene-Bidace and Liam Moore.

The Potters are challenging for a play-off place, with the side 12th in the Championship