Michael O'Neill is sure to be active in the January window as he looks to make his own mark on this Stoke City squad.

The Northern Ireland chief was appointed prior to the international break and got off to the perfect start, with the Potters beating relegation rivals Barnsley and moving off the bottom of the Championship as a result.

And, it appears he is already making plans further down the line, with the Scottish Sun claiming that Aberdeen's Sam Cosgrove is a target in the New Year.

The striker has scored seven goals in the league this season for the Dons and has impressed with his overall play for Derek McInnes' men.

Whilst the report adds that the Scottish Premiership side will be reluctant to sell, Stoke would fancy their chances of landing the 22-year-old, who O'Neill has previously background checked to see if he can play for the Green and White Army.

Here we look at ONE winner and ONE loser if Stoke managed to finalise a deal for the striker...

Sam Clucas

Clucas was given more license to get forward during O'Neill's first game in charge and he responded by scoring two goals.

If that continues, the chance to play with a target man like Cosgrove will really help the midfielder. He can make runs knowing the striker will hold the ball up and could benefit from his knock-downs and ability to play with his back to goal.

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Sam Vokes

Providing O'Neill continues with one up front, which you would expect he will considering the success the team had at Barnsley, then playing time is going to be limited for many strikers.

And, one of those would be Vokes if Cosgrove arrived. The two are similar players in that they offer a physical threat and it's highly unlikely the pair will feature in the same XI.

So, if the ex-Carlisle man signed it could spell the end of Vokes' unremarkable Stoke career.