One winner, one loser as Cuco Martina completes Stoke loan move

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On Friday afternoon, Everton defender Cuco Martina completed a season-long loan move to Stoke City.

The Curacao international had seen his opportunities at Goodison Park limited and will be eager to help the Potters achieve promotion.

Here is one winner and one loser from the loan deal, as Martina will be pleased by the prospect of consistent football but Stoke’s underperforming defenders may be at risk of losing their place.

Winner: Cuco Martina

During his debut year at Goodison Park, Martina always played with impressive desire but never looked like a player of top quality.

The defender, who is more comfortable as a right back, performed with admirable effort when asked to play left back last season, but was largely off the pace.

After Everton purchased ex-Barcelona defender Lucas Digne this summer, Martina must have realised he was not in Marco Silva’s future plans.

A move away from Merseyside will do the Curacao international a world of good, granting him consistent first team football and a chance to shine at an ambitious club looking to return to the top flight.

Loser: Stoke City’s underperforming defenders

The Potters largely kept last season’s Premier League squad intact, including their full-backs Erik Pieters and Moritz Bauer.

However, these same players that were relegated with Stoke are failing to light the Championship on fire. The club is still searching for its first win of the season and is mired in 22nd in the league after the first two matches.

With the addition of Martina, Pieters and Bauer will undoubtedly be looking over their shoulders nervously and wondering if their first team berth is at risk.

The two underperforming full-backs could be axed from Gary Rowett’s lineup in favour of the Everton loanee, as Martina will be eager to prove his worth at his new club.