Begovic eyes success at Stoke

And he pointed to the exploits of Newcastle United last season as being the standard the Potters should aim for.

"We're desperate for the club to push on and I think there is a lot of room to grow in many respects," the Bosnia international told BBC Radio Stoke.

"The main thing for the club, and what's happening really, is that they've tried to put plans in place for the club to be successful long term, and that's very important."

Stoke has finished between 11th and 14th in the four seasons since it returned to the top flight and also competed in its maiden UEFA Europa League campaign last season.

Begovic believes the side can take inspiration from Newcastle, who three years after being relegated from the English Premier League finished just four points off the top four.

"Newcastle have been a kind of a sleeping giant really, if you think about where the club was 10 odd years ago and the levels they were competing at, so it's no surprise they can reach those levels," he added.

"For us, being in Europe has taken us into unexplored territory, so we're starting to scratch the surface and see where we can go from there."