The Potters are at a crossroads. After an impressive start to the season, five blanks in six games and just two points in that time have highlighted obvious weaknesses in the goalscoring department whilst the frequency with which City lose the key central midfield battle is another big worry. Whilst Matthew Etherington has arguably been the Potters player of the season so far the right wing has been a problem area. Liam Lawrence's patchy form and niggling injuries have seen others tried in that wide position and with only two wingers in the squad, barring the young Ben Marshall, that is an area where competition is needed.
The squad is full of players who have played, and are likely to play, little or no part from now on and so there could be a lot of movement outwards whilst a few first teamers could be shipped on to allow new players to come in. Below we are going to look at the team position by position and see who could be coming and going:
Goalkeeper
Current keepers: Thomas Sorenson, Steve Simonsen, Danzelle St.Louis-Hamilton, David Parton
St.Louis-Hamilton will surely head out again, whether it be on loan or on a free transfer, as the teenager now seemingly finds himself behind academy stopper Parton in the queue for the gloves. The top two will no doubt stay as they are but rumours of City completing the £3m transfer of Alex Smithies from Huddersfield could mean the end of the road for Simonsen, who is out of contract in the summer.
Right back
Current right backs: Andy Wilkinson, Robert Huth, Andrew Davies, Andy Griffin, Ryan Shotton
Shotton has already agreed a second spell on loan at Barnsley, for the rest of the season, and at least one of Davies and Griffin can be expected to leave, probably both if the reported interest in Spurs Alan Hutton and Sunderland full back Phil Bardsley is firmed up.
Left back
Current left backs: Danny Collins, Danny Higginbotham, Andy Wilkinson, Andy Griffin, Carl Dickinson
Dickinson, ala Shotton, has agreed to return to Barnsley for the season whilst Wilkinson is more often than not needed at right back. Despite this being an area where we have struggled for consistency Griffin has remained nowhere near the side leaving Collins and Higginbotham to fight it out. Expect Griffin to move on and a new face to arrive to try and fill this gap, with Everton full back Leighton Baines or debt ridden Pompey's Nadir Belhadj amongst the possibilities.
Centre back
Current centre backs: Abdoulaye Faye, Ryan Shawcross, Robert Huth, Danny Higginbotham, Danny Collins, Leon Cort, Andrew Davies, Ryan Shotton
As already mentioned Shotton is returning to Barnsley and if the Potters sign a full back or two then expect Davies and Cort to leave, leaving five Premier League centre backs to fight it out two spots. Probably the last position where you'd expect a signing this window.
Right winger
Current right wingers: Liam Lawrence, Ben Marshall, Tom Soares
Soares is out on loan and will probably remain out for the rest of the season and Marshall has spent the first half of the season out on loan and will, after the Potters FA Cup tie against York, expect to go out on loan again. Delap and Whitehead have played out wide on the right when Lawrence has been injured or unfit of late and this has been the Potters downfall as the attacking threat is reduced with one of those out wide. Expect a wideman this window with Tottenham David Bentley available and desperate to prove himself with a World Cup in the summer.
Left winger
Current left wingers: Matthew Etherington, Michael Tonge
Luckily for Stoke Etherington has been on form as he has often been the only attacking threat from the midfield. If Etherington was to get injured then, with Tonge out on loan and having never been given a real chance, the Potters would be forced to put somebody out of position on the left with Delap the favourite. This would indicate the Potters need a back up left winger and if they could secure the services of Nadir Belhadj, already touted for a left back, then he could fill in for Etherington should he have to.
Centre midfield
Current central midfielders: Salif Diao, Dean Whitehead, Glenn Whelan, Amdy Faye, Rory Delap, Diego Arismendi, Danny Pugh, Matthew Lund, Nathaniel Wedderburn, Michael Tonge
City have not been able to have a settled partnership all season as dips in form and injuries have meant that Diao, Whitehead, Whelan and Delap have shared the duties. Amdy Faye is coming back from injury and has been linked with a move away and with City looking to bring in at least one new face then departures are inevitable.
Diao looks safe as he is a well respected member of the squad whilst Whitehead is also coming into form and won't be leaving. Whelan and Delap are inconsistent and although its unlikely either will leave they could find themselves well down the pecking order. Along with Faye though Tonge could leave aswell and Wedderburn, Lund and Arismendi best chance of first team football would be a loan move. Pugh, being the versatile player that he is is likely to be the man who finds himself on the bench every week.
Attacking threat from central midfield has been next to nothing this season and this could be what is addressed with possibilties to come in being Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas, struggling Hammers star Scott Parker and Toon Army favourite and England wannabe Kevin Nolan. Although the three are all big names the lure of a place in Capello's World Cup squad and the fact they are either out of favour, Jenas, struggling at the foot of the table, Parker, or playing in the Championship, Nolan, could see them take a punt on the Potters whilst long term target Joe Ledley could eventually sign for the Potters and another target Gary O'Neil could also seal a move to the Britannia although he has recently signed a new deal at the Riverside Stadium.
Strikers
Current strikers: Tuncay Sanli, Ricardo Fuller, Mama Sidibe, James Beattie, David Kitson, Louis Moult
Tuncay has finally broken into the side and has been impressive whilst the other forwards all struggle for form and fitness. Kitson reportedly fell out with Peter Reid and, despite being top scorer, he was loaned out to Middlesbrough. Kitson has since returned but is odds on to leave the Potters in January, chairman Peter Coates has already indicated such, and Moult will do well to get anywhere near the first team, probably looking at a short term loan later on in the season. James Beattie had that infamous spat with manager Pulis three weeks ago and has been linked with Blackburn, and a swap for Rovers striker Jason Roberts has been mentioned.
That would leave the out of form Fuller, Tuncay, who is more a creator than finisher, and unfit Sidibe as striker. This will no doubt be the main area for attention this window and the Potters have been linked with a lot more than the aforementioned Roberts with Sunderland target man Kenwyne Jones, Villa striker Emile Heskey, Spurs Russian reserve Roman Pavlyuchenko and beanpole Newcastle frontman Andy Carroll all linked.