2015-16 Premier League Season Preview: Stoke City

​​Welcome to theScore's 2015-16 preview of Stoke City. Transfer dealings, lineup projections, and everything else you need to know about the club's upcoming campaign.

Stoke City

Team Page - Roster - Schedule

Forgive manager Mark Hughes for his ambitious, if unreasonable, expectation that Stoke City will improve on its top-10 finish from a year ago.

While the club performed well last season - compiling its biggest point total (54) in the Premier League era - Stoke appears destined for regression, thanks to the loss of a trio of important players and underwhelming activity on the transfer market.

Stoke has, however, shed its reputation as a physical club with little interest in playing actual football. It has increasingly become a side known for its composed style and preference for grinding out wins by frustrating opponents with impressive defensive displays.

They likely won't improve on their ninth-place finish, but Stoke should continue to be a tricky fixture for a majority of Premier League teams.

2014-15 Season

Trophies Won: None

A year after registering 50 points in the top flight of English football for the first time in over 30 years, Stoke continued its improved play under manager Mark Hughes, surprising opponents with a style that proved difficult to contain.

Hughes, who was hired to replace Tony Pulis in 2013, introduced a refreshingly different mentality that saw his club trade in its boxing gloves for a set of boots.

The results in the first half reflected a Stoke side on the verge of reverting to its old ways, as they languished in the bottom half of the table.

However, a nice run during the busy holiday schedule saw Stoke begin its ascent, claiming the 10-spot in the standings by the beginning of February.

The Potters' season was capped with a brilliant 6-1 victory over Liverpool to cement their place in the top half.

Key Arrivals

• Joselu (Hannover 96)
• Philip Wollscheid (Bayer Leverkusen)
• Jakob Haugaard (FC Midtjylland)
• Shay Given (Aston Villa)
• Glen Johnson (Liverpool)
• Moha El Ouriachi (Barcelona)
• Dom Telford (Blackpool)
• Mark Waddington (Blackpool)
• Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona)
• Marco Van Ginkel (Chelsea - loan)

Mark Hughes decided to take a low-risk approach to purchases this summer, which belied the money that came in after a handful of big-money departures.

The team's biggest splash in the transfer market was Joselu, for whom Stoke payed Hannover 96 a reported £5.5-million fee. The Spanish striker has the potential to start the season as the club's main target up front.

Meanwhile, defender Glen Johnson has a chance to revive his career with a move to the Britannia Stadium following a frustrating end to his tenure at Liverpool, where he struggled to break into Brendan Rodgers' first team.

Key Departures

• Asmir Begovic (Chelsea)
• Steven Nzonzi (Sevilla)
• Robert Huth (Leicester City)
• Jamie Ness (Scunthorpe United)
• Thomas Sorensen (Released)
• Andy Wilkinson (Released)
• Wilson Palacios (Released)

It looks like it will take Stoke more than one transfer window to replace the trio of talented players that departed this summer.

Their impressive defensive record could take a hit with the loss of 'keeper Asmir Begovic and central defender Robert Huth, while their midfield will have a major void with Steven Nzonzi's transfer to Spain.

Projected Starting Lineup: (4-2-3-1)

Jack Butland; Glen Johnson, Ryan Shawcross, Marc Muniesa, Erik Pieters; Ibrahim Afellay, Charlie Adam, Geoff Cameron, Marko Arnautovic, Bojan Krkic; Mame Diouf​

A creative and flexible philosophy will be important if Hughes is to have any chance of repeating last season's success.

The return of Bojan Krkic will be vital in determining the heights Stoke can reach following the Spanish forward's injury-plagued 2014-15 season. Hughes could elect to deploy Krkic as the outright striker or in a supportive position behind Mame Diouf.

The midfield should be a strong point with a relatively unchanged crop of players, while the team's defence could suffer with various moving parts coming in and out this summer.

Player To Watch: Jack Butland

England under-21 international has big shoes to fill in the wake of 'keeper Asmir Begovic's exit.

Butland will get his first taste of team action as he attempts to duplicate the Potters' success from last season, when they boasted the sixth-best goals-against (45) total.

Keep One Eye On: Bojan Krkic

Three Questions

1. Can Mark Hughes guide Stoke City into the top eight?

2. Will Stoke sufficiently replace its summer departures and can they get away with their low-risk purchases?

3. Is Stoke capable of capturing its second-ever major piece of silverware in its 152-year history?

Trivial Matters

• Manager: Mark Hughes
• Nickname: The Potters
• Stadium: Britannia Stadium (Capacity: 27,740)