Scott Hogan is set to join Birmingham City on loan for the rest of the season from bitter rivals Aston Villa.

The Ireland international has spent the first half of the campaign with Stoke City but he has struggled to make a positive impact for the Potters, scoring just two goals in 13 appearances.

He has clearly failed to impress new boss Michael O'Neill, with the Northern Irishman only using the 27-year-old on three occasions since he was appointed back in November and all of those were from the bench.

Therefore, Stoke were desperate to shift the ex-Brentford man off their books this month but with Villa not wanting to recall the player they needed to find a new club for Hogan.

And, that will be Blues, with Telegraph reporter John Percy revealing this evening that they are set to take the striker on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

Pep Clotet has been desperate to bring in a new striker this month as they are extremely reliant on Lukas Jutkiewicz, with summer signing Alvaro Gimenez struggling to adapt to English football so far.

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The verdict

This is a very interesting move and you would say the obvious winners are Stoke City as they have shifted a high earner who they didn't want to be paying for until May.

As for Blues, it's a tough one. On one hand, they certainly need a striker and if Hogan can rediscover the form he showed with Brentford then he would be a major upgrade on what they have.

However, he has really struggled in recent years and fans may wonder why they are bringing in someone who wasn't good enough for Villa and Stoke at this level recently.

Ultimately, it will then be down to the player to prove he can still deliver and this is a big opportunity for Hogan.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.