Jonathan Walters joins Stoke City as interim Technical Director

Ricky Martin has left his position as Technical Director of the club.

INTERIM REPLACEMENT: Stoke City Technical Director Ricky Martin has left his position at the club with former Ireland International Jonathan Walters taking over the position on an interim basis until further notice. Pic: Waterford FC

Stoke City Technical Director Ricky Martin has left his position at the club with former Ireland International Jonathan Walters taking over the position on an interim basis until further notice.

Walters is a former player of the club where he made 226 appearances between 2010 -2017.

In December 2022, Walters was appointed Technical Director of League One club Fleetwood Town. In addition to this, he would also hold the role at Fleetwood's sister club, League of Ireland outfit, Waterford. He left these roles after six months at the end of the 2022–23 season.

Stoke chairman John Coates thanked Martin for his time at the club and is delighted to welcome Walters back to Stanley Matthews Way.

 “Ricky has worked tirelessly in his attempts to bring success to Stoke City, and I am appreciative of his hard work and dedication.

“With results on the field having fallen significantly short of our ambitions during the current season to date, we believe it is essential to take on a new direction. We will run a full and robust recruitment process with immediate effect.

“Jonathan is ideally suited to the interim role and I’m thankful to him for stepping in to support Stoke City, a club I know is close to his heart, at this time.”