Mark Hughes satisfied with Stoke's opening two Premier League games
Friday 25 August 2017 11:12, UK
Mark Hughes claims Stoke are "in a good place right now," thanks to their victory over Arsenal last week.
The Potters boss also admitted they could make further signings over the final few days of the transfer window but fell short of going into detail regarding potential comings and goings.
Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, ahead of this weekend's Sky Live trip to West Brom, Hughes said: "In terms of form we feel we are in a good place.
"I think people now understand we are in decent shape. We're a competitive team and we all think we'll have a good season.
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"The Arsenal win was important in terms of setting down a marker for the rest of the season. The qualities you need to win were on show."
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Stoke followed up three points against the Gunners by beating Rochdale 4-0 in the Carabao Cup.
They now face the Baggies on Sunday at the Hawthorns, and Hughes has an almost full squad to choose from.
He added: "We are only waiting on (Xherdan) Shaqiri. He felt something early against Arsenal and came off. We are hopeful but we won't take any risks.
"It would be quite early for him to come back. It's only been seven days and we will give him enough time - he has a slight hamstring strain - but not ruled out yet."
"We don't feel there's any tear, a little bit of fluid, but it will resolve itself."
And Hughes has praised new loan signings Jese and Kurt Zouma, for settling into the side quickly.
"Credit to Jese for being able to make an impact on his debut against the level of opposition we faced," said Hughes. "We are really pleased with him. He's integrated really quickly.
"He'd only been in the building two or three days, and credit to him for coming into a game of that level, and having the game he had. That's encouraging for the rest of the season.
"The other players can see his talent but he's also very sociable and they've taken to him. Perfect start to his Stoke career."
Credit to Jese for being able to make an impact on his debut against the level of opposition we faced.
"And Zouma has started impressively. He will enjoy his time here I'm sure, just like previous Chelsea players we've taken on loan."
Regarding squad changes before the end of August, Hughes explained: "We may well look at making further signings before the deadline.
"Never overly confident because until it happens, and the guy's got the shirt on his back, because things can change very quickly.
"We're still looking at possibilities but nothing definite. We remain hopeful though. Whether we get anyone over the line, I still think we're stronger than at the start of the window.
"There may possibly be departures but we will have to wait and see. There is interest in some of our players."
