Stoke City have appointed Stuart Harvey as their new technical director, bringing in the 45-year-old after four years as head of player recruitment at Sunderland. Harvey will report to sporting director Jonathan Walters as Stoke push ahead with another rebuild after a difficult Championship season.

Walters said Harvey was a highly respected operator who played a valued role in Sunderland's rise from League One to the Premier League, adding that his knowledge had been built across several clubs and environments. He said Harvey had developed a strong reputation and understood the standards and detail required to drive success.

The appointment gives Stoke another senior football figure as they try to strengthen the club in several areas. That task has been pressing for some time. Stoke finished 17th in the Championship this season under manager Mark Robins and have not ended a league campaign in the top half since being relegated from the Premier League in 2018.

Harvey's route to Stoke also includes six years in various roles at Blackburn Rovers before he moved to Sunderland. His record there will be central to the club's hope that he can help improve recruitment and football operations at a side that has spent a long stretch outside the top flight.

Stoke will play in the Championship for a ninth consecutive campaign next season, and the new appointment underlines how much work remains after years of mid-table struggle. Walters said Harvey's arrival showed the club's ambition and commitment to keep moving forward and to build the best possible platform for success on the pitch.

For Stoke, the stoke city technical director appointment is less a finishing touch than another step in a longer reset. The club wanted experience, promotion pedigree and a clearer football structure. Harvey arrives with all three on his résumé, and with the expectation that results now have to follow the reshaping off the pitch.