Usually the medical is a formality in transfer and loan deals between clubs, but in the case of Tom Huddlestone's loan to Stoke City, he probably had to actually, you know, pass a medical. He didn't play at all last season because of an injury and just recently came back from ankle surgery. Stoke are apparently confident that he can contribute for them, because Sky Sports is reporting that Huddlestone passed his medical.

Expect the two clubs to issue a release sometime later tonight or tomorrow morning. Huddlestone will be going on loan to Stoke City for sure, but what we don't know are the terms. If Tottenham Hotspur are going to sell Luka Modric and not purchase an immediate replacement, they'll probably want the option to recall Huddlestone from loan come January.

Even with Modric leaving, it seemed unlikely that Huddlestone was going to get too many first team minutes for Spurs this year. He looked a bit shaky, though not terrible during preseason, and needs games to get his fitness back before he returns to being the Huddlestone that was effective for Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League. He's going to get more time at Stoke than he would have at Spurs.

And with that, we await the official announcement of both the loan itself and the exact terms of the loan.

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