This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill is looking to wield the axe as he looks to stamp his own mark on his Potters squad, with midfielder Badou Ndiaye ideally leaving permanently rather than on loan in January, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

Ndiaye has long been linked with a loan exit, with Turkish side Trabzonspor emerging at the front of a queue of suitors with StokeonTrentLive reporting that Stoke are still trying for their first priority, a permanent deal, before the end of the January window, and a loan deal remains the second option for a club keen to lighten its squad in numbers and finance.

So are Stoke right to off-load Ndiaye permanently rather than loan him out?

We discuss.........

Jordan Rushworth

“Selling Ndiaye is certainly a better move for Stoke at this moment in time than loaning him out would be, with the Potters needing the injection of the funds they get for the midfielder to look to strengthen the squad with the players that Michael O’Neill wants to bring in.

“The midfielder shown his ability when he has featured this season for Stoke and he is probably too good a player to be languishing down the bottom end of the Championship table, which means it is no surprise to see him being linked with a move away in January.

“However, a loan move would not really benefit Stoke at all with the club then not really being able to earn any money from a valuable asset, so from the club’s point of view it is vital that they manage to sell him, rather than just loan him out for the rest of the campaign.”

“A permanent move would probably benefit Ndiaye more as well, so that he can get his future sorted out rather than having to return to Stoke in the summer and look for a move again, so the best outcome for both parties is a permanent move.”

Chris Thorpe

"I think this would be the right move for all concerned, yes. Ndiaye is likely to be on a decent wage, meaning that the Potters would greatly benefit from selling him on in order to make room for new signings.

"He still has a couple of years left on his current deal, so in that case, O'Neill will surely be looking to make a healthy profit on the Senegalese midfielder in January.

"There is likely to be interest in the player's services from teams across Europe due to his experienced CV and pedigree as an international for Senegal, so therefore I think Stoke could get around £10 million plus for the 29-year-old.

"It remains to be seen if Ndiaye will indeed depart the club come the transfer window, however I for one would not be a tad surprised if he did, particularly as he spent time out on loan in Turkey last term."

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Josh Cole

“When you consider that Stoke spent a large fee to secure the services of Ndiaye from Galatasaray in 2017, they should be looking towards the possibility of selling him rather than loaning him out.

“Since making the move to the Potters, the Senegal international has failed to deliver the goods on a consistent basis which has resulted in him drifting in and out of the club’s starting eleven.

“One of a number of Stoke players who have been under par this season, it may be time for Ndiaye to make a permanent move away from the bet365 Stadium in order to revive his career.

“However, if the Potters are thinking about selling the midfielder, it is imperative that they have a replacement lined up for him as a failure to re-invest in January could hinder their hopes of achieving survival.”