Stoke eyeing up Euro 08 talent

Stoke City chairman John Rudge is reportedly in Austria and Switzerland on the look out for new signings to bring to the club for next year in the Premiership.

He said: "It is all about your contacts and people who can give you information.

"You have to be working hard to see whether or not there might be something that fits the bill. That might be like a (Peter) Hoekstra or a Sergei (Shtaniuk), or it might be a young player.

"But when you go out there you are meeting people all the time, sometimes even when you are going to matches.

"It may be more important who you speak to and deal with at half-time than the actual game."