Alex Neil namechecks Sunderland as Stoke boss targets multiple signings amid Ellis Simms links

Stoke boss Alex Neil expects his side to face a difficult October when they play three relegated Premier League teams, former club Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

The Potters will kick off their campaign with a home game against Rotherham and be looking to improve on last season’s 16th-place finish.

Sunderland will travel to the bet365 Stadium on October 21, while the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light will take place on January 27.

Following last week’s fixture announcement, Neil told Stoke Live: “It looks like a start where hopefully we can get our teeth into it. It only comes good if you pick up points and get them on the board,

“I think we’ve got a really sort of testing month of October with the three newly-relegated teams (Leeds, Leicester and Southampton) plus Sunderland and Middlesbrough, who were in the play-offs last year, so that’s all in one month.

“We start with a home game which is good and we end with home game, which is good. So all in all, I’m quite content.”

Neil is hopeful Stoke can complete multiple signings before their opening fixture against Rotherham on August 5, while the Potters are one of several clubs, along with Sunderland, who have been credited with interest in Everton striker Ellis Simms.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then to assemble the squad and get a team functioning and getting us ready,” Neil added.

“The strange thing is that we’ve got four games before the window ends so albeit, that first game will give us a flavour of where we are and what we’re looking like, but it’s certainly not going to be the end of what we do between now and the sort of end of August.

“The first games will give you a glimpse in terms of what we’re going to look like but it’s not going to be the finished article.

“I think there’s a lot of teams in the league this year that are having a bit of an overhaul. We have not got three or four players to add, with the rest of our squad is relatively settled. We’ve got, we’ve got quite a few that we need to add to get ourselves ready.”