Stoke City transfer situation is exciting but it could come back to bite them | OneFootball

Stoke City have had multiple successful loan deals this season, but a lack of transfer planning for the future could come back to haunt them

Stoke have endured a mixed time of late, with only two wins in their last eight games under new manager Narcis Pelach.

However, one upside to the Potters' season thus far has been their loan signings. Multiple successful spells have impressed City supporters, but may also raise questions over the club's long-term transfer planning.

Ashley Phillips, Andrew Moran, Tom Cannon and Lewis Koumas have all been signed on loan for Stoke this season, and have been featuring regularly.

They have arguably been four of Pelach's best players, but the glaring issue arises of what will be the course of action when each player returns to their parent club at the end of the season.

With chances of signing any of the current loanees appearing slim, Stoke could have a real problem on their hands if they are unable to find permanent replacements.

Stoke City loanees have been impressing this season

A glance at the Stoke City scoring charts gives a good impression of how much their loanees have contributed this season.

Of a club total 32 registered goal contributions, 13 of them were made by current loanees at Stoke City. This is a very prevalent figure, and represents 40.6% of the club's total goal involvements.

The highest contributor is Leicester City striker Tom Cannon, who has chipped in with seven goals and one assist.

When also considering that Cannon bagged in both of Stoke's most recent victories, as well as a hattrick against relegation strugglers Portsmouth, it becomes clear quite how much of an impact he is having at the bet365 stadium.

Furthermore, Andrew Moran and Lewis Koumas, on loan from Brighton and Liverpool respectively, both have two goals and one assist to their names.

Tottenham centre-back Ashley Phillips has also been making a name for himself in Staffordshire, and has started all of the club's previous five league matches.

While the current form of these four individuals has been a breath of fresh air at Stoke, it has become apparent rather quickly that the likelihood of securing any of them on a permanent basis is low, which could cause some dire issues for the club upon their departure.

Stoke City appear unlikely to be able to sign any of their current loanees

Examining the age and parent club of Stoke's loanees gives more insight into their inability to sign the players on permanent deals.

Considering the number of professional appearances made by each player at such a young age, it would appear most likely that each of them will either return to their parent clubs to break into the team, or be sold on in the future for a higher profit.

Top clubs are less willing to dispense of their youngsters due to the high market value of young players who break into professional football at an early stage.

Stoke would probably have to fork out hefty sums of money to be able to afford any of their current loanees, especially Tom Cannon, as he has already scored six Championship goals this season.

Overall though, there are some bright sparks in the Stoke City team.

Million Manhoef has three goals and two assists to his name, and South Korean left-winger Joon-Ho Bae is level at the top of the assist charts with five racked up already.

In spite of this, the dent made in Stoke's team by the imminent departure of their loanees will be monumental come the end of the season.

Their impact for Pelach's Potters has been undeniable so far, and it encapsulates a lack of planning from the Stoke hierarchy to not bring in more permanent signings.

It will be interesting to see how they deal with the void left by the youngsters at the campaign's closure.