Stoke City: £7m link to QPR player is a positive sign for Steven Schumacher: View | OneFootball

Stoke City's owners are some of the richest in England, but have been unable to invest their wealth into transfers in recent years due to Financial Fair Play regulations.

Last summer saw the first flex of Stoke's financial muscle in a while, perhaps due to the January 2023 sale of Harry Souttar to Leicester City for £15 million, with the club spending over €18m on incomings and implementing a change of strategy that saw more players arrive from European clubs, as opposed to solely British clubs like previous seasons.

And that spending doesn't Stoke have been linked to £7 million-rated QPR centre-back Jake Clarke-Salter in recent days by The Telegraph's John Percy, with the Potters on the hunt for a left-sided central defender following Luke McNally's return to Burnley after his season on loan.

Premier League clubs are also keeping tabs on Clarke-Salter after an impressive season at Loftus Road where he has been finally able to prove his fitness somewhat, so it may be a tough sell for the ex-Chelsea man to make the move to a fellow Championship side.

Whilst Clarke-Salter may not end up arriving in the Potteries, his reported link is a sure sign that the Coates' are prepared to back current boss Steven Schumacher this summer, and are ready to splash the cash to get Stoke moving in the right direction - much like they did last summer, albeit with mixed results.

Steven Schumacher deserves Stoke City backing after promising end to 2023-24 season

Eyebrows were raised across the country as Schumacher left Plymouth Argyle to join Stoke last December, especially after he had masterminded their return to the Championship the previous season and had them higher in the table than the Potters at the time of his departure.

The prospect of the Stoke job can be appealing to any head coach though, with owners that are supporters of the club and therefore prepared to work closely with anyone they see fit to lead them forward.

The 40-year-old had to win the trust of the Coates' this season, and his stellar job in keeping the club afloat in the Championship whilst also playing an attractive, front-foot style of football has surely made him gain that trust.

His side's strong end to the season has shown that he more than deserves a chance to have a transfer fund to bring in players that he wants this summer, especially after he oversaw a deal to bring Vitesse winger Million Manhoef to the club, with the Dutch U21 international becoming a key player in the run-in, scoring four goals in the final six league games.

Stoke City have multiple positions to address this summer

It is clear that the club want to be proactive this summer, with concrete transfer links already arising despite the regular Championship season barely being over.

Some may argue that, if the Potters' owners view Schumacher as the man to achieve success at the club, then backing him this summer is more of a necessity than a possibility.

The club is currently left with a thin squad for next season - with a first-choice goalkeeper, left-back and centre-back all needed, among other positions.

Stoke may look to loan in or buy some of their previous loanees such as Luke Cundle and Daniel Iversen, who would both seamlessly fit back into the squad, but it is still set to be a summer of big changes with fringe players such as Ben Pearson and Daniel Johnson possibly set to seek pastures new after falling out of favour.

Schumacher realistically must be backed with money this summer - as Stoke risk facing another season of bottom-half mediocrity, or a possible play-off push if they get their transfer dealings right.