Gary Rowett first encountered Stoke as a manager in a pre-season friendly with Burton Albion in 2014
New Stoke City manager Gary Rowett has made it clear that he will have full accountability for new signings following his arrival at the Championship club.
Rowett told BBC Sport: "It's something that's really important to me. At every club I've been at, I've had that say.
"At any club, you work with people to provide information and share ideas.
"But no player will come in unless I want that player in. It will always be me that has to have the last say."
Rowett, who has already been linked with Wolves' powerful former Arsenal and Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe, will be working on transfer targets with Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes and technical director Mark Cartwright.
He knows that he has taken on the job at a time when Stoke fans have blamed the club's relegation after 10 years in the Premier League on the quality of their more recent signings.
But Rowett is quick to point out that, for every Giannelli Imbula, Saido Berahino, Kevin Wimmer, Jese Rodriguez or Ibrahum Afellay, there have been success stories like Jack Butland, Erik Pieters, Joe Allen, Xherdan Shaqiri and Peter Crouch.
Marko Arnautovic also became a fan favourite before leaving for West Ham.
"I understand that people will speak about some of the signings last season," he told BBC Radio Stoke.
"But don't forget the club have also made some incredibly good signings too in their time in the Premier League.
"Certainly, in terms of Mark and Tony, I'll work together with those guys to work out the best scenario.
"The market is not limited for us. The owners have made it clear that they will competitively try to back me
"But, when you look at the 100 names we've been linked with, five might be true and the other 95 might be agent led. But they're of the general standard we're looking at, the type that fit the profile age wise. And goals in particular were an issue so that's an area we're trying to rectify."
Stoke's key transfer failings
£18.3m: Record signing Giannelli Imbula, who moved from Porto in 2016, has made just 23 league starts for the Potters, scoring twice. The Congolese midfielder spent the 2017-18 season out on loan at French side Toulouse.
£18m: Austrian defender Kevin Wimmer, signed from Spurs in August 2017, made just 14 league starts. After ending the season training with Stoke's under-23s, he was sent out last week on a season-long loan to Hannover.
£12m: Former England Under-21 striker Saido Berahino has started 12 games, come off the bench 28 times and has not scored since his £12m move from WBA in January 2017. Like Wimmer, he ended the season training with the under-23s.
Former Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez, who came on loan from Las Palmas in August 2017, scored one goal in 13 appearances before taking unpaid compassionate leave for the remainder of his contract.
Forward Ibrahim Afellay has made 28 starts in three seasons since his arrival for an undisclosed fee from Olimpiakos in 2015.
Gary Rowett was talking to BBC Radio Stoke sports editor Graham McGarry
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