Stoke City chairman Peter Coates says he expects the club to again make the majority of their signings towards the end of the transfer window which closes at the end of August.

Stoke have usually left their signings until later in the summer under Tony Pulis.

Last year, their first senior capture, Dean Whitehead, arrived on July 25.

Coates told The Sentinel: "The transfers are always a bit later anyway, but they are likely to be later because of the World Cup."