Stoke City must be thanking Sheffield United for £3.9m transfer favour | OneFootball

Djibril Soumare has enjoyed an excellent start to life at Stoke City after his previous loan spell in the Championship with Sheffield United

After three defeats in their opening three Championship games, as well as being dumped out of the League Cup on penalties to Premier League Hull City, Stoke City have bounced back to go unbeaten in four, as manager Mark Robins relieves some of the pressure that had been building on him.

Indeed, Stoke had a tricky start to the season.

A narrow 2-1 home defeat to high-flying Swansea City was followed up with back-to-back away losses to parachute-payment sides Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, as Robins knew he had to turn results around quickly.

Switching to a 3-4-2-1 shape against Norwich City, Stoke withstood the Canaries' pressure to claim a 1-0 home victory, as wins against Charlton Athletic and Watford have been sandwiched by an away draw with Cardiff City.

A few standout performers have emerged among their ten summer signings, including one who was on loan in the Championship last season.

Stoke City signed Djibril Soumaré from SC Braga this summer after his loan spell with Sheffield United

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Stoke had a busy summer window, with ten new faces entering the bet365 Stadium, with some notable exits, too.

Lewis Baker and Steven Nzonzi were released on free transfers, whilst both Tatsuki Seko and Milan Smit departed the club, though the £10.5 million sale of Sorba Thomas to Hull was their largest departure in almost every metric by some distance.

Despite this, the Potters had one of the highest net spends in the division from the summer, bringing in the likes of George Hirst, Ethan Galbraith, Jack McGlynn, Justin Devenny, Luca Bombino, and Luke Graham for the region of a combined £30 million, as Djibril Soumare also came through the doors in a €4.5 million (£3.9 million) deal from Portuguese side Braga.

Soumare, 23, spent last season on loan with Sheffield United in the second tier, making 25 appearances in the Championship for the Blades, who failed to activate their €10 million obligation to buy clause; now, Stoke are reaping the rewards.

Why Stoke City signed Djibril Soumaré

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Midfield was undoubtedly one of, if not Stoke's greatest weaknesses last season, and following the additions of Galbriath, Svante Ingelsson, Devenny, and Soumaré, they have addressed it and then some.

Baker and Nzonzi's departures were both necessities, as both Ben Pearson and Tomas Rigo fell in the pecking order as a result of these signings.

In truth, since Nzonzi's first spell with Stoke over a decade ago, the Potters haven't had a midfield enforcer that has come close to matching the Frenchman's physicality and technical ability; as though Soumaré has some way to go to hitting similar heights to the World Cup winner, his presence is a more than welcome addition in the middle of the park.

With a year of Championship experience already under his belt, and at 23, Stoke identified Soumaré as their primary target to walk into their midfield and develop, and he is already rewarding the club for their faith.

Djibril Soumaré has enjoyed an excellent start to life with Stoke City following his Sheffield United stint

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Since his arrival in North Staffordshire, Soumaré has appeared in all seven of Stoke's league games thus far, predominantly alongside Galbraith in one of the two deeper midfield positions, and the pair are complementing one another perfectly.

Soumaré's willingness to get stuck in, break up play, influence the game off the ball, and allow Galbraith to dictate play in possession has seen the pair strike an excellent partnership already, and one Stoke fans have shown their appreciation towards.

It's still early days, but the Senegalese's presence in the midfield has been a more than welcome addition thus far, and if he can continue to develop and perform at the level he is playing at currently, Stoke could have a real gem on their hands at Sheffield United's expense.

Mark Robins must be thanking Chris Wilder for aiding Djibril Soumaré's development

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Stoke and Sheffield United have shared numerous players over the years, with the likes of Enda Stevens, Phil Jagielka, Tom Cannon, Tyrese Campbell, Rhys Norrington-Davies, and Adam Davies, to name a few, having played for both clubs in the past decade.

However, Soumaré has the potential to be the pick of the bunch, and one the Potters profit from Sheffield United's transfer decision.

Whilst the Senegalese was not a regular for the Blades during his year in South Yorkshire, he found some crucial development time, and upon joining Stoke, he will know exactly what the Championship is capable of.