Stoke City will be aiming for a strong transfer window this summer ahead of the new Championship season.

The Potters finished an underwhelming 14th place in the second-tier last season, something they will surely be looking to build on in the coming campaign.

As a result, there will be plenty of expectation and pressure on Stoke to make some impressive signings this summer, that can push them closer to promotion back to the Premier League in the coming campaign.

However, there are plenty of Stoke fans who will be well aware of the fact that eye-catching signings on paper may not always work out on the pitch, having seen a number fall into that category in recent times.

That is something that could serve as a warning to the club in the current market, so here, we've taken a look at eight of the worst Stoke signings from the past few years, to find out just where they are now.

Stoke paid Tottenham a reported £18million for the signing of Wimmer in the summer of 2017, in a deal that never worked out.

The defender rarely provided any protection as part of Stoke's back line, and managed just 17 league appearances as the Potters were relegated from the Premier League in his first season.

Shipped out on loan several times over, Wimmer never made another appearance for Stoke, and had his contract terminated last summer to allow him to join Rapid Vienna in a native Austria on a free, finishing third in the Austrian top-flight last season.

While only a loan signing from PSG, Jese's arrival proved to be an ambitious and exciting signing that went badly wrong for Stoke.

The midfielder's antics both on and off the pitch meant he never won favour with the Potters' fanbase, during that 2017/18 season that saw the club's drop out of the top-flight confirmed.

After two further loan spells, Jese eventually had his contract with PSG terminated in December 2020, and is now playing in Spain's second-tier with Las Palmas, who missed out on promotion to La Liga via the play-offs last season.

Stoke broke their transfer record when they signed Imbula from Porto for a reported £18.3million in the 2016 winter transfer window on a five-and-a-half-year deal.

However, the midfielder managed just 28 appearances and two goals for Stoke, and after several spells on loan elsewhere, had his contract with the Potters terminated in February 2020.

After leaving Stoke, Imbula had a brief spell in Russia with Sochi, before joining Portimonense in March 2021. He has since made just 14 appearances for the club, who finished 13th in the Portuguese top-flight during the 2021/22 season.

Stoke spent a significant fee to sign Berahino following his somewhat acrimonious departure from West Brom in the 2017 January transfer window.

However, the striker scored just five goals in 56 games before his contract was terminated in the summer 0f 2019, later joining Zulte Waregem last summer.

Berahino returned to England last year when he joined Sheffield Wednesday, but is now a free agent again, having been released after just a single season with the Owls in which he scored nine goals in 36 games as the club missed out on promotion following defeat to Sunderland in the League One play-offs.

Stoke reportedly paid £14million to sign Ndiaye from Galatasaray in January 2018, just a few months before their relegation from the Premier League.

After some disappointing performances and several loan spells elsewhere, including three back in Turkey, the midfielder left Stoke last summer, and completed a move to Greek side Aris Thessalniki on a three-year deal.

Ndiaye's debut campaign with Aris last season saw him score four goals in 35 games to help his new side to a third place finish in the Greek top-flight, earning him another shot at European football next season.

Joining Stoke on a four-and-a-half-year deal in January 2013, Shea never managed to make much of an impression at all in the Potteries.

While injuries didn't help his cause, Shea himself seemingly did little to win Potters fans over, and managed just five appearances for the club in total, before returning to his native America after Championship loan spells with Barnsley and Birmingham.

The winger is currently playing for the David Beckham owned Inter Miami, having made 46 MLS appearances for the club since joining in June 2020.

Edu joined Stoke in the summer of 2012, after a four-year spell with Rangers in which he won made 125 appearances, scored 12 goals and won six trophies with the Scottish giants.

His time with Stoke would be much less eventful however, with the midfielder playing just ten minutes throughout the whole of his career with the Potters. After a loan spell in Turkey with Bursaspor in 2013, Edu joined Philadelphia Union on a temporary basis in 2014.

Making that move to the MLS side permanent a year later, Edu was released by Philadelphia at the end of the 2017 season, effectively ending his playing career.

Haugaard was brought to Stoke in the summer of 2015, seemingly with many hoping and expecting him to replace his outgoing fellow Dane, Thomas Sorensen between the posts for the Potters.

However, Haugaard endured a disatrous run of Premier League appearances towards the end of the 2015/16 season, that ensured he never made an appearance for the club again, before being released in the summer of 2019.

The goalkeeper joined Swedish side AIK in 2020, and having made just 16 appearances for the club, Haugaard moved to Norway to join Tromso on loan earlier this year.