Jonathan Walters appointed Sporting Director of Stoke City

Jonathan Walters has been appointed as the permanent Sporting Director of Stoke City Football Club.

The former Republic of Ireland international made 271 appearances for Stoke during his playing career, scoring 43 goals in the process.

More recently, the 40-year-old became the Technical Director of League One club Fleetwood Town, a role he combined with their sister club Waterford.

But after just six months, Walters left those roles and returned to Stoke City in the role of Interim Technical Director back in February with the club confirming on Monday that this has now been made permanent.

“We went through a thorough recruitment process, interviewing a number of impressive individuals, and there was no doubt in my mind that Jon was the standout candidate," Chairman John Coates told the club's official website.

“He has impressed everybody since taking charge on an interim basis, playing a huge part in galvanising the Club and our fans, as well as impressively articulating his vision for the future.

“Jon knows what it takes for our football club to be successful and has the leadership qualities to bring people with the right skills and experiences together for the benefit of Stoke City.

“The focus of the whole club is currently on preserving our Championship status. Beyond that, Jon will be at the heart of building for what we all believe can be an exciting future.”

Speaking on the announcement, Walters insisted he is just fully focussed on Championship survival in the short-term with further success their target long-term.

“It’s hard to articulate the drive inside of me to help get this Club back to where I believe it belongs,” he said.

“The first priority is to retain our Championship status this season. After that, it’s