Manager Nathan Jones has revealed that his previous work alongside Stephen Ward helped convince him to look to sign the defender for Stoke.

Ward was part of the Brighton side that reached the Championship play-off semi finals during the 2013/14 season, when Jones was assistant to manager Oscar Garcia at the Amex Stadium.

The defender is available on a free transfer following his release from Premier League side Burnley, and it was reported by the Stoke Sentinel on Wednesday that Ward has arrived at Stoke's Clayton Wood training ground ahead of a potential move to the bet365 Stadium, and Jones himself now appears to have confirmed that is the case.

Speaking about Ward to the Stoke Sentinel, Jones revealed: “I worked with Stephen, that’s why we’re trying to bring him here.

“He’s had a fantastic career, the only down side for him is his age, because he isn’t what we normally go for.

“But I feel we need to add certain things to the changing room and the environment and Stephen brings those."

Assessing the attributes that Ward could bring to his Stoke squad, Jones added: “He’s a wonderful player, a great character, very experienced. He’s been promoted – won the Championship twice. He’s an Irish international, I worked with him, he’s technically very, very good so he ticks every box. It’s just the aging process is the only drawback.

“We feel he can do a wonderful job and we hope we can tie everything up today (26th June) and get it done.”

Ward joined Burnley from Wolves in the summer of 2014, and went onto make 113 appearances in all competitions for the Lancashire side, helping them win promotion to the Premier League during the 2015/16 campaign.

The verdict

You can understand Jones' thinking here.

Having worked with Ward before, the Stoke boss is clearly confident that the defender can still do a job in the Championship next season.

Even if he isn't a regular for the Potters, his experience and insight of both the Championship and the top flight could prove to be a useful asset for Stoke as they look for a return to the top flight next season.

Ward's availability on a free transfer following his release from Burnley also seems to help Stoke in this situation, as it reduces the financial risk to Stoke if the move fails to work out, and that is a route the club are clearly looking to exploit this summer, having already made similar moves for the likes of Adam Davies, Lee Gregory, Jordan Cousins and Nick Powell.