Comment by Keith Wales

WITH just a few weeks to go until the resumption of transfer dealings, Tony Pulis will have been identifying the targets he believes can help keep Stoke City in the Premier League.

But what players will he be after? Does Dave Kitson's struggles mean the Stoke boss will be looking to bolster his front line? Will he shell out a decent-sized wedge of Peter Coates's cash on a player who can inject pace into a sometimes pedestrian team? Will he invest all of his January kitty on that creative midfielder the fans are crying out for ... or will he bring in more defenders?

A quick perusal of Pulis's track record in the transfer market suggests two things ... he loves a bargain (and can spot them too) and seems to have an inherent distrust of so-called 'flair' players.

Timely it is then that Hull should be the visitors to the Brit this weekend. Why? Because their manager, Phil Brown, took a gamble on adding the 'X-Factor' to his team and has been enjoying the dividends ever since.

It is difficult to believe Pulis would ever have contemplated signing a player like Geovanni, a free transfer from Manchester City. Yet Brown's gamble has paid off in spectacular style.

His six-goal leading scorer has become a talismanic figure at the KC Stadium – the man most associated with transforming the Tigers from relegation certainties to high-fliers capable of cutting down the likes of Arsenal and Spurs in their own backyard.

It's not just the Brazilian, of course. Brown has also been a shrewd operator in the player market and then had the knack of being able to quickly blend old and new into a coherent unit.

Pulis, too, has successfully integrated his summer recruits into a squad fiercely jealous of its exemplary team spirit. But where is Stoke's X-Factor?

There is nothing wrong with honest endeavour, and Stoke are a far better footballing side than they are given credit for, but a sprinkling of stardust can also help.

Of all the players linked with Stoke during the summer, perhaps only Nicola Zigic, Valencia's free-scoring Serb striker, had the 'X-Factor' – the ability to turn a match with one flash of unpredictable genius.

Granted, genius is an expensive commodity, and it seldom offers the consistency Pulis demands from his players.

But, on its day, it can transmute the basest of football into something magical ... and help win games that were lost.

That's the sort of ability Stoke need if they are to stay in the big league, so come on Tony ... roll the dice.