Stoke City figure compares the Potters' summer transfer budget to other Championship clubs | OneFootball

Stoke City technical director Ricky Martin believes his team's summer transfer budget will be "competitive" after doing some research on how much other Championship teams will have to spend during the summer transfer window, speaking in a fans forum to Stoke-on-Trent Live.

The Potters could still force their way into the play-offs - but they look set to remain in the second tier after struggling for a decent chunk of the campaign before their recent revival.

With this in mind, they can afford to plan for life in their current division again next season already and that will determine the transfer targets they pursue as well as their budget, with their bright form recently allowing them to ease any fears of relegation after spending much of the season down at the bottom end of the table.

Spending big in the summer of 2018, they have had to restrict the amount they have forked out on players in recent years to ensure they remain within the EFL's financial limits, with the January sale of Harry Souttar potentially helping them to do that.

And their careful business in previous transfer windows may allow them to spend a bit more in the summer as they look to force their way into the promotion mix next season.

That's something Martin has all but confirmed, hinting that manager Alex Neil will have a decent budget at his disposal when the next window comes along.

He said: "We will be going into this window with a competitive budget. As part of my analysis I need to know what other teams’ budgets look like and what available funds they’ve got so I know what we’re going up against and my research tells me we’ll be competitive.

"I’ll also be selling the stadium and what it looks like to play your home games here, the training facilities and the game model.

"I think the game model at the moment is really exciting and every player enjoys playing on the front foot, looking to go to win games home or away. Players want to join that kind of model."

The Verdict:

Considering they have seven loan players on their books currently, they will probably need a decent amount of money just to replace them, with those out-of-contract also needing to be considered.

Current loanees Dujon Sterling, Ki-Jana Hoever, Ben Pearson and Will Smallbone have all been integral in recent times, with replacements for the likes of Matija Sarkic, Axel Tuanzebe and Bersant Celina also required.

In terms of those who are set to depart the club on the expiration of their contracts, Morgan Fox is attracting interest and it remains to be seen whether goalkeeping duo Jack Bonham and Frank Fielding are handed new deals at the bet365 Stadium.

Some of their other players also see their deals expire including Aden Flint and Phil Jagielka, so several positions may need to be strengthened in the summer depending on who signs a new deal to extend their stay in Staffordshire.

Thankfully, their summer budget looks set to be big enough to fill some of these gaps if Martin's comments are anything to go by, with their careful business in recent years needing to be commended.