John Souttar is on the radar of Stoke City for a potential transfer in January, according to The Sun.

The Scotsman is a very effective central defender in the Scottish Premiership but whether or not he would be able to adapt quickly to the Championship remains in question.

The three-time Scotland international is a potential transfer target for Michael O'Neill in January, particularly after his brother, Harry Souttar, was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury sustained on international duty with Australia.

A key defender light it will be interesting to see if that affects the Potters' thinking as the window edges closer.

We have taken a look into the potential move to examine whether it would be a good one…

Is it a good potential move?

Stoke have enough depth in central defence to cope with the loss of Harry Souttar and therefore do not need to splash out on a new central defender in January.

Looking at the move from the opposite angle, swapping Heart of Midlothian for a push for promotion to the Premier League with Stoke would definitely be an attractive proposition for John Souttar.

His deal in Scotland ends at the end of the season which means that a cheap gamble may entice Stoke to make the signing. It would be a more exciting move for the player than the club itself.

Would he start?

It feels unlikely that he would walk into O'Neill's back three system.

Even after Harry Souttar's injury, the Potters still have a lot of accomplished defenders to continue their positive campaign.

In Leo Ostigard, Danny Batth, James Chester, Ben Wilmot and Morgan Fox the Potters have five competent players for the level who should be able to step into the lurch left behind by the Aussie.

As the season progresses John Souttar could become a useful option for O'Neill but straight away it is unlikely the 25-year-old would see frequent first team opportunities.

What does he offer?

 

 

Cover would be the main thing but his contract running down also makes a deal more attractive.

Stoke would be able to sign the defender at a cut price with Hearts knowing they are at risk of losing him for free in the summer and John Souttar could go on to acclimatise to the league with ease.

This has been the first season where John Souttar has really nailed down a starting berth at Hearts and so we have a limited sample size to try and predict what he could offer at Championship level.

In the short term it would predominantly be a cover option for the other more established central defenders at the club.