So sad:I will not play again,Ben Gibson has signed his resignation letter and promise never to return…

So sad:I will not play again,Ben Gibson has signed his resignation letter and promise never to return…

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.