“It’s difficult to express the desire inside of me to help get this Club back to where I believe it belongs,” stated the former Republic of Ireland international.
Jonathan Walters has been named the permanent Sporting Director of Stoke City Football Club.
During his playing career with Stoke, the former Republic of Ireland international made 271 appearances and scored 43 goals.
More recently, the 40-year-old was appointed Technical Director of League One team Fleetwood Town, a position he shared with their sister club Waterford.
However, after only six months, Walters left those positions and returned to Stoke City as Interim Technical Director in February, with the club revealing on Monday that this position has 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,” said Chairman John Coates on the club’s official website.
“He has impressed everyone since taking over on an interim basis, playing a significant role in galvanizing the Club and our fans, as well as effectively communicating his vision for the future.
“Jon understands what it takes to be successful at our football club and has the leadership abilities to bring people with the necessary talents and experiences together for the benefit of Stoke City.
“The whole club is currently focused on maintaining our Championship status. Beyond that, Jon will be at the forefront of preparing for what we all hope will be an exciting future.”
Speaking about the announcement, Walters reiterated that he is just concerned with Championship survival in the short term, with additional success as a long-term goal.
“It’s hard to articulate the drive inside of me to help get this Club back to where I believe it belongs,” he told reporters.
“Our primary aim is to maintain our Championship status this season. After that, it’s a matter of building brick by brick toward a long-term goal of becoming better than we’ve ever been.
“It will take time, and there will be ups and downs along the way, but the goal is to build and maintain a team that really reflects the Club, our fans, and the city of Stoke-on-Trent.
“We will accomplish this by fostering a culture of high standards in everything we do while being true to the local DNA of dedication, unwavering hard work, having each other’s backs, and never giving up.
“Those principles and goals must be linked across the Club, including the board, the players, training ground and stadium personnel, and our incredible
“We will recruit and develop people who live and breathe our behaviours and standards, and I will constantly hold myself and others around me to account in our relentless pursuit of the successful future our supporters so richly deserve.”
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