An uncharacteristically busy deadline day gave Stoke fans plenty to talk about during the first international break of the new season with the headline arrivals of Wilfried Bony and Bruno Martins Indi hot topics of conversation.
Both promise to boost a squad that sits rock bottom of the Premier League table but questions remain over a transfer strategy that saw the club wait until the very last minute before bringing in two such crucial additions. Since his arrival, Mark Hughes has preferred to do his business early so the concept of an action-packed final day of the transfer window was a strange one for both him and the fans.
The advantages of not getting involved in a last minute trolley-dash are obvious but perhaps most crucially is the bonus that new players are able to enjoy a preseason together and build chemistry if they are signed up nice and early. In that respect both signings will be playing catch-up and while Bony is set to make his debut on Saturday against Tottenham, Martins Indi is less likely to feature as he is still some way off match-fitness having effectively been frozen out of contention at parent club Porto.
It's far from an ideal situation for a squad who continue to suffer with injuries; let alone one who are propping up the league. The news of another operation for Jack Butland was a cruel blow and the third loan signing on deadline day -- Derby County goalkeeper Lee Grant -- speaks volumes of the manager's faith in the back-up he had originally bought for that position last season; Jakob Haugaard.
One positive piece of news, though, is the potential return of Glen Johnson who on Thursday took part in training having missed the last seven months with a knee injury. The visit of Spurs perhaps comes a little too soon on his long road to recovery but fans will be hoping and praying that he doesn't suffer any further complications on his path back to the starting right-back spot.
There's more disappointing news up-field with Xherdan Shaqiri again set to miss out and Mame Diouf in doubt over a hamstring injury suffered during the international break. Those injuries mean Potters fans could face the prospect of seeing Jon Walters or Bojan Krkic line up on the wing but the fact that either of them are expected to feature there is disappointing.
The arrival of Egyptian wonder kid Ramadan Sobhi earlier in the window was an exciting one but the manager is seemingly reluctant to use him just yet and as such should maybe have brought in additional wing cover during the window to backfill Shaqiri's constant muscle complaints.
Not seizing the opportunity to strengthen there is frustrating when the side needs all the help they can get up-field after a goal-shy start to their latest campaign. It seems all hope has been put firmly on the shoulders of Bony to recreate the goal-scoring form he showed at Swansea that saw Manchester City part with £25m for his services in 2015.
It's a tall order for any player and he will have his work cut out breaching the defence of a Tottenham side who took the title race right down to the final weeks of last season. He'll take heart from the fact that the Potters have taken their fair share of points from Spurs since their promotion back to the top flight though last season's comprehensive 4-0 demolition job is one to forget.
One player who appears to be fit and ready to play his part in a charge up the table is Joe Allen, who scored his first goal for Wales in their 4-0 World Cup qualification win over Moldova on Sept. 5. His energy and industry will be key to any result on Saturday as Hughes again looks to use a 4-3-3 formation with the Welshman sat alongside Glenn Whelan and Giannelli Imbula in midfield.
His breaks forward to support the front line and in-particular Bony could help break the deadlock in the final third of the pitch; an area the side have struggled to impress in early this season. If he can manage to do that and bring with him some of the never-say-die spirit shown by Wales at the Euros, then his side have half a chance of changing their season's fortunes for the better; starting with Tottenham.