Stoke City manager Steven Schumacher insists the focus is to remain in the Championship before looking at any summer transfer activity.

It’s been a turbulent season for the Staffordshire-based club. They made the decision to part company with Alex Neil in December, bringing in Schumacher from league rivals Plymouth Argyle. Their form failed to improve though and they soon tumbled down the table after a string of defeats at the turn of the year.

The Potters have found themselves in an unlikely battle to remain in the division and were in the bottom three as recent as last month. However, two wins and a draw from their last four outings has seen them move up to 18th and five points above the drop zone.

It’s a healthy cushion to have and they host play-off chasers West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. With Championship football for next season looking increasingly likely, you’d be forgiven for thinking that attention has already turned to the summer transfer window and what is likely to be a busy period at the bet365 Stadium. That isn’t the case though, with the manager still focused on securing safety.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the clash with the Baggies, via Stoke On Trent Live, the 39-year-old said:

“I think I answered that a few weeks ago when I was asked about whether we need to overhaul the whole squad.

“That might not be necessary. And I don’t want to get dragged into commenting about previous managers and anything that has happened over the last six or seven years. My focus is on what’s happening now.

“My immediate focus is to try to win the game on Saturday against West Brom and trying to get enough points to stay in this league.

“I’ve got a good idea about what’s required for us to improve in the future and I’m sure the lads in the recruitment team and Jon Walters and John Coates and everyone else will have similar ideas. We have to work together to try to get the outcomes better than what’s been going on.

“But in the short term, that’s not our main focus, the focus is to get enough points to stay in this league.”

Following Saturday’s game, Stoke face a trip to Wales to take on Swansea City before travelling to Hillsborough to take on fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday.