Stoke City have completed their sixth summer signing after the club confirmed that left-back Stephen Ward has joined.

The Irishman has signed an initial one-year deal at the Bet365 Stadium having left Burnley at the end of the season as his contract expired.

Ward had spent the past three years in the Premier League with the Clarets and whilst he was a regular for most of his time at Turf Moor, he lost his place for much of the previous campaign.

He will bring a lot of experience to Nathan Jones' squad and joins a day after the club had announced that they had completed five new signings, with Adam Davies, Liam Lindsay, Jordan Cousins, Nick Powell and Lee Gregory arriving.

Unlike those new recruits, the 33-year-old has experience of winning promotion from the second-tier having gone up as champions with Wolves and Burnley in the past.

He has also worked with his new boss Jones when the manager was a coach at Brighton, with Ward enjoying a loan spell with the south coast club in six years ago.

The Verdict

This is a smart signing from Stoke as they need a new left-back and they have got a reliable option now in Ward.

Even at 33 he will still feel he has a lot to offer and he will bring a balance to the team going forward whilst remaining strong defensively.

As well as that, his experience could be vital to what will be a new-look Stoke side that line up in August as having someone who has been there and done it can help a lot in the dressing room.

Jones will be delighted to have secured this deal so early in the window, along with those announced yesterday.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.