Stoke offloads Imbula to Toulouse on loan

Giannelli Imbula's frustrating Premier League tenure has been offered a provisional reprieve, with Stoke City sending the Belgium-born defensive midfielder to Toulouse on season-long loan.

The Potters announced the switch Thursday, and the club was refreshingly candid in assessing the 24-year-old's efforts, saying, "The 24-year-old has struggled to adjust to life at the bet365 Stadium following his high-profile switch from Porto two years ago, making just 28 appearances in all competitions."

Pegged to thrive in England's top flight after a club-record £18.3-million move from Porto, Imbula's first campaign at the club was decent in comparison to his second, where Mark Hughes dropped the left-footed Guingamp academy product at the start of the 2016-17 season.

For Toulouse and impassioned gaffer Pascal Dupraz, Imbula's arrival should help bolster a midfield that's a bit short on ideas. Former Bastia red-card aficionado Yannick Cahuzac, Brazilian Somalia, Yann Bodiger, and emerging stud Alexis Blin comprise Dupraz's motley crew in the middle of the park.