Stoke: Is the Kitson deal now dead?

With the news that Reading have been knocked out of the Championship play-offs tonight, does this spell the end of any chance of selling Dave Kitson back to the Royals?

Kitson has been on loan with his former club since the beginning of the year with an agreement that they'd buy him back for a reported £4.8m should they get promoted to the Premier League. But Burnley put paid to any dreams of a quick return for the Royals with a comprehensive 2-0 win (3-0 on aggregate) for the Clarets at the Madejski Stadium thanks to a great goal from former Stoke player, Martin Paterson. Kitson did make a second half appearance from the bench and created the majority of the few chances the Royals had in the second 45 minutes but, as we saw many times at the Brit, failed to put them away.

It's also looks like Reading boss, Steve Coppell may now leave the club and this could make any permanent deal for Kitson even more unlikely.

Dave made 18 appearances for the Potters in the first half of the season after signing for £5.5m, but goals eluded him and he jumped at the chance to return to his old club, but then managed to burn any bridges he may have had remaining with some ill chosen remarks in the media that his short spell in the Potteries had all been a terrible mistake.

It may well be that Reading do go ahead and take up the option to sign him up, but it will be unlikely to be for any amount that would recoup the Potters' original investment. Otherwise, we may be able to offload him on to another Championship club - either way we look likely to have to take a sizable loss on any deal as the chances of him playing again for Stoke look very slim.

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