It often feels as if bringing back a successful loan signing can be one of the most popular transfers a club can complete, and with good reason.

A player will have often established a connection with the players, fans and club in general, and having clearly done enough to have been wanted back in the first place, there is less of a concern about the performances that may or may not be put in by said signing.

One such club who may well be hoping to take that route of revisiting past links with loan players over the coming summer are Birmingham City.

The Midlands side have already confirmed the signing of Gary Gardner - who made 42 appearances on loan at St Andrew's from Aston Villa last season - as part of a deal that has seen Jota head the other way, and you wouldn't blame them if they were to look towards bringing back another loan player from last season in the summer.

Having shown flashes of his potential elsewhere previously, it felt as though Connor Mahoney well and truly came of age in the Midlands last season.

Experiencing regular first team football for the first time in his career, Mahoney proved a popular addition to The Blues squad, helping them stave of the threat of relegation brought about by a nine point deduction imposed on the club midway through his season long loan from Premier League Bournemouth.

But while Mahoney's performances on the pitch and his popularity off it suggest a return to St Andrew's would be popular news in Birmingham, the latest comments coming out of Mahoney's parent club suggest this could be a summer of frustration for Birmingham.

Assessing Mahoney's performances at Birmingham, Cherries boss Eddie Howe admitted to The Bournemouth Echo that Mahoney had shown that he could well have a future at The Vitality Stadium, something which is unlikely to have been popular with Birmingham fans.

Having seen Mahoney's performances first hand this season, many of them will likely agree with what Howe is talking about, although that may not make it any easier to read them, with Howe evidently suggesting an extended stay at Bournemouth is on the cards for Mahoney.

Missing out on the winger is something that could well hurt Birmingham in the long run, but then again, if Howe wasn't singing his praises like he is, would Mahoney really have been putting in the types of performances that would make Birmingham fans want him back themselves.

It is not impossible for Mahoney to make his return to St Andrew's and a loan move may not be out of the question, and given their apparent lack of a chance of anything more than that, you feel Birmingham fans may well be willing to take it.