Stoke boss plans ‘lots of changes’

Stoke could manage to claim a top-10 finish this season, but Pulis admits they will never be able to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in the transfer market.

“If we stay up this year there will be lots of changes,” said Pulis.

“They won’t be massive, but certainly changes within the club and the group which will enable to push on again.

“It’s not a case of shaking it up, it’s about being solid enough so if things did go a bit wobbly, we would be able to maintain the progress and stability we’ve built over the previous three years.

“If you look at the money that is spent at the top end of the table you have to be very careful how you go about things, and you have to do it over a period of time.

“We can’t go out and do what Kenny (Dalglish) has done at Liverpool and spend £60-70million on two players, and we can’t do what Chelsea have done and spend £90million on two players.

“So we have to do it a different way, which is over a period of time, instead of instantly.”