Stoke City had a year to forget in their first season back in the Championship, following relegation from the Premier League in 2018. 

The Potters finished 16th, which will certainly have come as a disappointment to their supporters, who will have hoped that they could return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

It's set to be an interesting summer ahead for Nathan Jones' side, as he looks to strengthen his squad ahead of another season in the Championship.

According to Sky Sports, they have been linked with a move for Lee Gregory and Nick Powell, who they will hope can add some quality in attacking areas ahead of next year's campaign.

In an exclusive interview with Football League World's Jacob Potter, former Stoke defender, Danny Higginbotham issued his verdict on the potential signing of the attacking duo.

"Lee Gregory has already shown at Millwall that he's got goals in him, whilst Nick Powell has got fantastic ability, but you've got to make sure that you get the consistency from him and keep him fit."

The Sky Sports pundit insisted that his former side need to start the season strongly, and stated that they need to add goals and creativity to their side before the transfer window closes.

"It's in terms of how the manager looks at it, we know he had great success at Luton with playing a diamond formation, although that didn't come straight away. 

"They need to hit the ground running, one of the things that will be on their mind in the summer is finding someone with more goals and more creativity."

The 40-year-old also felt that the Potters suffered from complacency at times during last season, which saw them finish poorly in the Championship table.

"They underestimated the league and the gap between the bottom six in the Premier League and the top six in the Championship is really tight now."

A potentially season-defining transfer window awaits Stoke, and they'll be hoping they can make the right additions to their squad as they look to make a timely return to the Premier League.