Jonathan Walters has been appointed as the permanent Sporting Director of Stoke City.
Chairman John Coates said: “We went through a thorough recruitment process, interviewing a number of impressive individuals, and there was no doubt in my mind that Jon was the standout candidate.
“He has impressed everybody since taking charge on an interim basis, playing a huge part in galvanising the Club and our fans, as well as impressively articulating his vision for the future.
“Jon knows what it takes for our football club to be successful and has the leadership qualities to bring people with the right skills and experiences together for the benefit of Stoke City.
“The focus of the whole club is currently on preserving our Championship status. Beyond that, Jon will be at the heart of building for what we all believe can be an exciting future.”
Walters, who made 271 appearances as a player for the Club during a successful era from 2010 to 2017, returned as Interim Technical Director in February.
Having now become Sporting Director on a permanent basis, the 40-year-old is fully focussed on short-term Championship survival and long-term success.
“It’s hard to articulate the drive inside of me to help get this Club back to where I believe it belongs,” he said.
“The first priority is to retain our Championship status this season. After that, it’s a case of building brick-by-brick towards a long-term ambition of being better than we’ve ever been before.
“It’s going to take time, and there will be ups-and-downs along the way, but the mission is to create and sustain a team that truly represents the Club, our fans and the city of Stoke-on-Trent.
“We will do that by instilling a culture of high standards in everything we do and being true to the local DNA of dedication, relentless hard work, having each other’s backs and never giving in.
“Those values and ambitions must be aligned right across the Club, including the board, the players, training ground and stadium staff, and our amazing fans.
“We will recruit and develop people who live and breathe our behaviours and standards, and I will constantly hold myself and others around me to account in our relentless pursuit of the successful future our supporters so richly deserve.”
Leave a Reply