Sam Surridge has completed a permanent move to Stoke City from AFC Bournemouth this week, just in time for the new Sky Bet Championship season to kick off this weekend.

The Potters will be looking to try and challenge for the play-offs at least this season, with Michael O'Neill once more at the helm and continuing to make changes to his squad.

Certainly, it looks quite a hungry set of players that he's putting together and that should bode well - though we'll only ultimately see once results are starting to be put on the board.

Surridge is excited to get going, though, with him outlining his ambition of helping the Potters back into the Premier League:

The Verdict

Exciting enough words from Surridge and fans would certainly like to see him come good on them in the coming season, as it would obviously mean a top campaign is on the horizon.

Surridge is of an age now where he will want to become the main man somewhere and there's every chance that could happen at Stoke, with them having the faith in him to make this a permanent transfer.

He's arrived on a four-year deal, too, so he's now got a good set of seasons ahead of him to really make his name known in Staffordshire.