Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley has admitted that the club will be thinking about whether to make a permanent move for Charlie Kirk in the coming weeks.
The Seasiders signed Kirk on a temporary basis from Charlton Athletic in the January transfer window after the winger was limited to just eight league appearances during the first-half of the 2021/22 campaign.
Since making the switch to Bloomfield Road, the 24-year-old has shown some signs of promise in the Championship for Blackpool.
In the seven league games that he has participated in, Kirk has managed to provide three assists for his team-mates.
Blackpool do have the option to purchase Kirk for a fee believed to be in the region of £500,000 this summer.
Having featured in the club's clashes with Birmingham City and Luton Town, the winger could be in line to start against Barnsley in the second-tier on Tuesday.
Considering that the Seasiders managed to accumulate four points from these two aforementioned fixtures, they ought to be confident in their ability to secure a positive result at Oakwell.
Ahead of this fixture, Critchley addressed Kirk's current situation at Blackpool.
Speaking to Lancs Live about the winger, Critchley said: "I think Charlie has shown his qualities, he makes that little bit of a difference in the final third with the technical quality that he's got with both feet and at set pieces.
"I don't think he's looked out of place in the Championship at all, he's settled into the group really well.
"Beyond that I wouldn't want to speculate because he's a Charlton player and he's only on loan here so that'll be something that we have to think about in the next few weeks."
The Verdict
If Kirk continues to shine for Blackpool during their remaining league fixtures, it wouldn't be at all surprising if they opt to sign him on a full-time basis this summer.
The winger still has plenty of time left in his career to make considerable strides in terms of his development and is already benefitting from Critchley's guidance.
Particularly impressive during Blackpool's 6-1 win over Birmingham earlier this month, Kirk set up a goal in this clash and provided two more key passes for his team-mates as he recorded a WhoScored match rating of 7.92.
With Blackpool set to take on a Barnsley side on Tuesday who were relegated from the Championship last week, it will be intriguing to see whether Kirk is able to deliver another eye-catching performance for the club in this fixture.