Stoke City are facing a crucial summer transfer window with the Potters having fallen short of challenging for a place in the play-offs this term and having to settle for a bottom half finish.

That made it for something of an underwhelming campaign for Michael O’Neill’s side who did look like they might be in and around the top-six placed during the first half of the season.

However, injuries to key players and also a lack of quality in certain areas of the squad proved too much for them to overcome and they will have to build for better next term.

Heading into the summer window there are already plenty of rumours flying around that concern the Potters in terms of both incomings and outgoings that could happen.

It is vital that they make the right decisions over who to allow to leave and who to bring in if they are to enjoy success next season.

With that in mind, we take a look at four potential arrivals and four potential departures we could see emerge at Stoke in the coming weeks…

Ahead of the summer transfer window, the Potters might be needing to look at potential left-backs they could bring into the squad to replace Rhys Norrington-Davies as he heads back to Sheffield United following his loan spell.

The Potters are already being linked with a potential summer swoop for Aston Villa’s experienced defender Neil Taylor. The left-back is thought to be on the radar of Stoke alongside fellow Championship outfit QPR, while Istanbul Basaksehir and Trabzonspor are also thought to be eyeing up a move as he is expected to leave Villa Park on a free transfer.

Taylor would potentially be a very wise signing on a free transfer and he has previous promotion-winning experience from the Championship. Those qualities would make him well suited to O’Neil squad and he would offer a reliable option for them to call upon down the left-hand side of their defence.

One potential departure that we could be set to see at Stoke this summer is defender Nathan Collins, who is already starting to attract the interests of sides in the Premier League.

Collins is reportedly on the radar of Burnley who are thought to be willing to make an offer of around £9 million to Stoke for the talented defender. While there have also been reports suggesting that Arsenal could be in the race to sign him in the summer and tempt the Potters into cashing in on one of their most valuable assets.

Keeping hold of players like Collins should be a priority for the Potters this summer, but with finances tight they might well be forced to consider a potential sizeable offer if one comes their way for him. The fact that there might be a few clubs interested means they could drive up the price they receive for him if they do sanction a departure for him.

Another potential signing that the Potters could be set to make over the next few weeks is Bristol City winger Jamie Paterson, with him set to leave the Robins now that his deal has come to an end.

Paterson is thought to be on the radar of Stoke, alongside a host of other Championship clubs including the likes of Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Millwall. It is believed that he is going to leave Bristol City in the summer with them not handing him a new contract and that is going to create a lot of competition for his signature.

The winger is a solid Championship option that is going to be available on the cheap, Stoke need some new attacking players and some extra options in the wide positions so he does fit the bill. However, there will be some questioning if he is the right player to sign to take them to the next level.

Another potential exit that might be on the cards at the Bet365 Stadium in the coming weeks is defender Harry Souttar, who like Collins is set to attract a lot of attention from Premier League sides over the summer transfer window.

Souttar is reportedly a potential target for Burnley heading into the summer as they aim to find replacements for the likes of Jimmy Dunne and Ben Gibson. The Clarets are believed to see the Australia international as a potential alternative to Collins. There have also been reports linking the defender with a possible move to Wolves and West Ham.

The defender though has recently spoken out about his potential future and provided some hope that he could stick around at Stoke despite rumoured interest from elsewhere. He suggested that he wants to get to the Premier League with the Potters.

A signing that could also be a possibility at Stoke over the coming weeks is Fleetwood Town’s Jay Matete, with the Potters potentially able to make a swoop for the promising midfielder.

It has been reported that the Potters are leading the race for Matete’s signature this summer ahead of fellow Championship side Millwall. That comes with the midfielder potentially being made available by Fleetwood for a fee of around £800,000, with him having just one year remaining on his current deal with the League One side.

This would be a promising addition to make to the squad, but could be one more with an eye on the future rather than looking for success in the immediate term. However, spending less than £1 million on a potential asset that could be developed a lot in the coming years seems like sensible business for them to conduct.

Stoke will be aiming to lower their wage bill in the summer transfer window and move on some of their highest earners as they aim to rebalance the squad and also bring in other new signings. A potential casualty of that could be midfielder Sam Clucas.

It is believed that Stoke are willing to allow Clucas to leave the Bet365 Stadium in the summer on a free transfer as they aim to get his sizeable wages of their books. While it is also reported that Blackburn Rovers are amongst the Championship sides that would be interested in making a move for the former Swansea City man if he is to become available.

Losing a player with Clucas’ experience and quality is not ideal for the Potters, but it might be something that they have to do to bring in other potential signings in the summer. If he does go then, he will be a very good potential signing for a number of other clubs to make.

The last potential transfer incoming we could see at Stoke in the next few weeks or so that we will look at here is Sheffield Wednesday attacker Josh Windass.

Windass’ long-term future at Sheffield Wednesday is very much up in the air heading into the summer following the Owls’ relegation to League One. Stoke are believed to be one of the numerous sides including Cardiff City and Middlesbrough who are interested in signing him. While further reports have credited both Fulham and West Brom with interest in him as well.

Signing a player with Windass’ quality could be a major plus for Stoke this summer, but it seems that they will have to fend off a lot of competition for him. They have been somewhat boosted by recent reports clarifying that Cardiff have not yet made a move for him, after there were some initial suggestions the Bluebirds had made an approach.

The final potential departure that we could be set to see at Stoke during the summer transfer window is midfielder Joe Allen, whose time at the club could be set to come to an end.

It has been reported that the Potters are willing to allow Allen to leave the club in the summer a year before his existing deal comes to an end, if they receive an offer that they deem to be acceptable for him from another side. That comes with Stoke aiming to lower their wage bill so that they can bring in other potential new signings.

It might be the right time for Allen to leave the Potters this summer, with the midfielder still an important part of the squad of course but perhaps not as vital to them as he has been in the last few campaigns.