O'Connor promises exciting summer

Stoke coach Mark O'Connor believes plenty of players will want to join the Potters once they complete their first signing of the summer.

Stoke are yet to break their duck in the transfer market but Tony Pulis is closing in on his first captures and could even complete his first deal before the end of the week.

Pulis has a budget of around £25million for strengthening and O'Connor claims the manager's first couple of signings will give other players a real indication of the Potters' ambition for next season.

"The first couple of signings will actually ignite what we do this summer," he said.

"I think once we manage to get the first one or two in that we need, then it starts the ball rolling as we can sell the club to other players.

"It should be easier to attract the players a little bit more this year because of what we achieved last year."

The likes of Dean Ashton, Djibril Cisse and Habib Beye have been linked with moves to the Britannia Stadium and O'Connor says the club are now shopping for a far better quality of player than they were 12 months ago.

He said: "Players will now see Stoke as more of an attractive option than 12 months ago so we are hoping we have moved up the ladder from that point of view.

"We need to improve the squad and push on, so any player which becomes available which we feel will improve the squad would definitely interest us.

"There is no point in bringing players in who are the equivalent of what we already have. If those players become available we have to try and bring them to this football club."

Meanwhile Pulis has admitted he would be interested in bringing Michael Owen to the club should the England striker ever become available.

The 29-year-old is on the lookout for a new club after confirming his plan to leave Newcastle but Pulis admits Stoke are unlikely to be near the top of his preferred destinations at this stage.

However, Pulis would be more than happy to offer the former Liverpool star a contract should that ever change.

"You never say never in football, so of course I'd be interested in throwing my hat into the ring if it was ever viable," Pulis told The Sentinel.

"I'm not sure whether Michael would want to come here right now, but that situation could always change for him.

"He would be a great signing for this football club and he can rest assured our fans would treat him as one of their own.

"I imagine there will be bigger clubs taking an interest in his availability for the moment, and I can't say I've received a copy of his dossier, but that doesn't mean he will end up signing for them necessarily.

"So it could be a deal that comes on to our radar in time and one we'd be silly to turn our back on if we could get something sorted with his people."