Celtic attacker sets a challenge as Stoke City loan players report card and contract status. due to…..

The loan market has been a key part of Stoke City’s recruitment and match day planning over the last few years in the Championship even if different managers have had different ideas of what it can bring to the party.

Gary Rowett went for experience when he brought in defenders Cuco Martina and Ashley Williams from Everton, while Benik Afobe and Ryan Woods were loans with obligations to buy a few months down the line. Nathan Jones thought that Scott Hogan, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Mark Duffy could have immediate impacts on the first team too.

Michael O’Neill went younger, partly due to the constraints of Financial Fair Play, explaining in the summer of 2022: “The loan market is very difficult to gauge because we won’t be in at the top loans. Our loans are typically younger and they’re young players with a lot of potential and you don’t really know how they’ll do. Sometimes they’ll come in and hit the ground running, sometimes they don’t. Rhys Norrington-Davies did well for us, Rabbi Matondo didn’t do so well, Jack Clarke was a bit mixed. This year, Harwood-Bellis was good

“If we can’t find players we believe are better to buy, we have to try to find them to loan. That can come at either a financial cost if they’re ready made and you’re paying a loan fee and high wages or you have to drop into more of a development-type player who you hope will get to the level. That’s probably the market we’ve been in more often than not and it comes with more inconsistency.”

Clarke, and Jaden Philogene, have since become leading players at other clubs in the Championship. Clarke had to take a step down to League One to find his feet, Philogene needed another year on loan. Will Smallbone and Taylor Harwood-Bellis are now challenging for promotion, Liam Delap has shown more glimpses of his potential at Hull.

Alex Neil’s first six signings were loanees – and all with a view to possibly getting them back either on loan again or permanently. He wanted Dujon Sterling again in the summer; almost brought in Matija Sarkic; did bring back Ki-Jana Hoever, on loan again, and Ben Pearson; and Axel Tuanzebe wanted to return but came with a high bill plus injury concerns.

Now there are five loanees in the Stoke squad: Hoever, Luke McNally and Sead Haksabanovic brought in by Neil and Daniel Iversen and Luke Cundle welcomed by Steven Schumacher, who had used loans well at Plymouth Argyle – including Cundle.

Schumacher said: “We had to use it down there, it was part of our plan because financially we couldn’t afford to buy those types of players. Here it’s slightly different but there are still opportunities. We’ve got five loan players who are all really good players in my opinion. There is still room to do that.

“Loan lads can definitely influence and help your team as long as they feel part of this club even though they are not owned by this club, it’s not their parent club, and they give everything for the shirt, and I think our lads are doing that really well.”

With 14 out of Stoke’s last 17 January signings being loans, and one week of this window left, it is a pertinent to ask how the current set are getting on and what the future might hold.

Who would you want to keep? Who would you return? Have your say in the comments section