Many Stoke fans would have been fearing the worst ahead of the January transfer window, with Jack Butland likely to be a man in demand after a number of impressive recent performances. 

The Potters are currently 14th in the Championship table and many fans will be hoping that they can push further up the table across the busy festive period.

Gary Rowett's side are unbeaten in their last four league games and they will be confident of building on some defiant defensive displays against promotion-chasing sides in recent weeks.

Butland has been at the heart of their impressive defensive displays with a number of eye-catching performances, which are sure to see the Premier League clubs come calling for his services once again in January.

But, Stoke have seemingly got a replacement lined up to replace him, with Fraser Forster emerging as Rowett's main target in January, according to a source from Football Insider.

Would Forster be the perfect replacement for Butland in the Stoke side?

We look at the THREE reasons why he would be an ideal replacement here....

With Forster having not made a first-team appearance for Southampton since December 2017, he certainly has a point to prove.

When he was regularly in the first-team at the Saints he kept them in games and earned crucial points on his own at times.

Forster will be keen to reignite his career, which has somewhat stalled in recent years.

Even though Forster hasn't featured in a competitive game for Southampton for a considerable amount of time, he will still be confident of plying his trade in the top-flight.

Many Premier League clubs would be likely to take a punt on Forster as they look to add to the depth in their teams.

But if the Saints goalkeeper is after regular game time, then he would be wise to consider Stoke's interest in him.

There are sure to be many comparisons between the two shot-stoppers, but Forster's experience could be the deciding factor.

He has a large amount of experience of playing in the Premier League and he would be a better and more reliable option to have between the sticks for Stoke for the rest of the season, as they mount their challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League.