Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has outlined his ambition to guide his side to a top-six finish in the Premier League.
The Potters signalled their intent for the campaign by breaking their transfer record with a £12m move to sign Xherdan Shaqiri from Bayern Munich.
Hughes believes that his side can build on their ninth-place finish from last term to challenge for a Europa League place, repeating the feat of his tenure with Blackburn Rovers from the 2005-06 season.
He told reporters: "It is possible. I remember at Blackburn in my first year we scraped by and ended up 15th. The second year we were sixth. Maybe it is harder than 10 years ago, and things have moved on, but it is possible still in my view.
"The fact I have done it before. We will try again and keep on trying. It is a big step. There is a league within a league but that second group of teams – we are at the top end of that. To make that step out of that I think is a huge step and more often than not it takes a significant investment.
"We are in a position where we can be the best of the rest, and in any given season you can get a run of results which propels you even further up the league."
Stoke face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League later today.
Simon Sinclair
