Stoke City striker Lee Gregory is set to remain at the Bet365 Stadium, with the Potters not wanting to send him out on loan before the transfer window closes, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

Gregory has been the subject of interest from Cardiff City on transfer Deadline Day, with the Bluebirds interested in taking the striker on loan for the rest of the campaign, according to the Football Insider - and the Potters had been linked with a potential move for Hearts forward Conor Washington if they were to have allowed the 31-year-old to leave.

The striker has been an important figure for the Potters so far this campaign after arriving at the club from Millwall in the summer, with the 31-year-old managing to score four goals in 25 Championship appearances, but his place in the side has been under threat of late due to the form of Tyrese Campbell.

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It is thought that Stoke would have potentially been open to allowing Gregory to leave the club on a permanent deal, but Michael O’Neill’s side have decided against allowing the striker to move away to Cardiff on a temporary basis.

The verdict

This seems like the most sensible decision the Potters could have made, with time running out to bring in any potential replacements for the forward were he to have left the club before the window closes, and Gregory will still be an important player for the rest of the season.

Given the striker has been gradually seeing his minutes limited over the last few weeks due to the performances of Campbell, who himself has committed his long-term future to the club this month, the Potters could have potentially made the right decision to cash in on him at this stage.

However, loaning the 31-year-old out would have made little sense, given the striker still has the potential to add goals and experience up front for O’Neill’s side as they look to continue to move away from relegation trouble.

Gregory will now be needing to focus on get himself back into the starting line-up consistently again, and trying to improve his goal tally for the rest of the season, and O’Neill will be hopeful that his decision to keep hold of him is vindicated at the end of the campaign.