BREAKING NEWS: Stoke City boss keen to take stock of transfer window arrivals as he moulds new-look squad

With the international break at the halfway stage, Alex Neil is preparing to get back on training ground ahead of Saturday’s trip to Norwich City

Alex Neil is looking forward to getting some quality time on the training ground with his new look Stoke City squad.

The manager has been balancing a double life over the last two-and-a-half months, taking a hands-on role in the club’s busiest ever transfer windows as well as trying to prepare his players, including all those new signings, for life in the Championship.

But as his recruitment department catch a breath following deadline day last Friday, Neil is relishing a chance to fully focus on his day job.

He said: “I think it’s ultimately, as a coach, where you want to get to but the simple fact is you can’t negate the importance of the transfer window, particularly when it’s a rebuild of the size that we have had to do.

 

 

“This time now will be vitally important. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been looking forward to the window shutting. It’s taken some shift to try to get everything across the line and get everything done and there’s been so much work for so many people to get us into the position we’re in.

“But I’ve been looking forward to this when we can purely focus on what happens on the grass and try to prepare the team and doing as well as we can.”

Neil will be particularly keen to get working with his players after seeing a promising start to the season undermined by successive defeats to Millwall and Preston.

In fact, the Potters have yet to register a point away from home this season going into Saturday’s 3pm clash with Norwich City at Carrow Road.