Former Stoke City full-back Tommy Smith has backed the Potters to get it right and challenge for promotion eventually, despite his own underwhelming three-year stay with the club.
The 32-year-old moved to the Bet365 Stadium from Huddersfield Town to play under Nathan Jones in 2019 but neither he nor the Potters impressed under the Welshman, or successor Michael O’Neill, and Smith left the club on a free transfer, signing for Middlesbrough in 2022.
He told the BBC’s Football Daily 72+ EFL podcast it was "a shame" a succession of big-money signings had failed to shine since the Potters were relegated from the top flight after 10 years in 2018.