Stoke City emerged as the busiest Premier League club on transfer deadline day by completing the loan signings of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Jermaine Pennant and striking a deal for Portsmouth skipper Marc Wilson. His transfer involved a reported fee of £4 million with both Dave Kitson and Liam Lawrence moving in the opposite direction.

From a Fantasy perspective all three signings will be expected to make an impact. Although it will be presumed that Wilson will provide competition for Ryan Shawcross and Abdoulaye Faye in central defence – making all three that little less attractive as Fantasy propositions as a result, Stoke boss Tony Pulis appears to have other plans. Wilson can also operate in midfield and it’s perhaps significant that Pulis made this point after completing the deal yesterday…

“He showed great maturity last season in what was a very difficult time for Portsmouth, so he will give us more competition for midfield places. Like Jon Walters, he can operate in a couple of positions and that provides us with different options which we will need over the course of the season.”

Wilson could well have been bought as a midfield protector then – a curious move perhaps given that the experience of Salif Diao was also secured on a two-year deal on yesterday’s deadline.

The more illustrious signings of Gudjohnsen and Pennant meanwhile suggest that Pulis is looking to develop Stoke City’s game further and move away from their label as a direct, aggressive outfit who feed off set-plays. Certainly Gudjohnsen’s arrival from Monaco on loan indicates that we will see the ball on the deck more often at the Britannia.

Our Members Opta team statistics show that, after three games, Stoke have enjoyed just 35% possession and have completed just 765 passes – only Blackburn have made fewer. Stoke’s “passes made in oppositions half” shows similar results. Gudjohnsen’s presence will help matters but presumably those statistics are what they are due to the way Stoke set out their tactics; Gudjohnsen will certainly be of little use if they fail to change that approach.

Presumably Pulis will look to partner Kenwyne Jones with Gudjohnsen although, given that Stoke already have a creative forward-thinking player in Tuncay who has failed to maintain regular starts, we shouldn’t take anything for granted. It’s unclear where Tuncay fits into the plans now – it’s pretty difficult to imagine a Stoke side starting with both the Turkish playmaker and Gudjohnsen in the same starting eleven.

Pulis meanwhile set one target for Gudjohnsen – goals.

“He certainly brings more goals to the squad, following the arrivals of Kenwyne Jones and Jon Walters, which was an important aim in this transfer window and I am delighted we have brought these three players in, together with Marc Wilson.”

Jermaine Pennant’s arrival is perhaps more fitting with Stoke’s existing setup. He comes in on loan from Spanish club Real Zaragoza on a six-month deal and has Premier League experience with Birmingham and Liverpool of course. He also has other “previous” but we won’t dwell on that here.

A reliable provider of crosses, Pennant will presumably take up the right flank and provide strong balance for Matt Etherington’s delivery from the opposite wing. With Jones to aim for in the middle, Pennant could prove a very effective signing although goals were never his strong suit so we shouldn’t expect spectacular returns.

Stoke’s fixtures hand the new arrivals three home matches in the next four (AVL WHM new BLA bol) to help ease them in and allow them to make an impression. There will be very few Fantasy Managers acting on impulse with any of the trio, although increased interest in Jones as a mid-price offering up front could be an early by-product of their arrival and Wilson’s price as a possible out-of-position asset will need monitoring.