Stoke City are on an excellent run of form, losing just one of their last nine league games and winning six, firing up the Championship table as a result, as one unsung hero deserves his flowers for his role in this rise.

Stoke, right now, look like real play-off contenders, brushing off their tricky start to the season in which they lost their opening three games to Swansea City, Southampton, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Potters, under Mark Robins, will be hoping to maintain this level of form throughout the duration of the campaign and avoid a similar drop-off to what they suffered last year.

This time, Robins will believe the business his side were able to conduct in the summer will be enough to maintain their good run of form, with one player in particular looking like a real coup already.

Stoke City completed a £2 million deal for Luke Graham in the summer ahead of heavy competition

It was another busy year in the Potteries, as though few players left the club, many joined, as the likes of Ethan Galbraith, Djibril Soumare, George Hirst, Svante Ingelsson, Ben Johnson, Joshua Griffiths, Jack McGlynn, Justin Devenny, Luca Bombino, and Luke Graham arrived in North Staffordshire.

Graham, 22, made the move south of the border from Dundee for around £2 million, having shone in the Scottish top flight the season prior, attracting the interest of numerous clubs around the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe.

However, it would be Stoke who would ultimately win the race for the highly-rated defender's services, as the Potters fended off heavy interest from elsewhere to secure a deal which already appears to be a real bargain.

Rangers and Portsmouth were among the other clubs interested in Luke Graham before Stoke City switch

Coming through the ranks of Dundee, Graham has been on a steady upward trajectory throughout his career, playing in Scottish League Two with Albion Rovers, Scottish League One with Montrose, Scottish Championship with Falkirk, Scottish Premiership with Dundee, and now in the English Championship with Stoke.

Prior to his move to the Potteries, as many as 43 clubs were reportedly interested in Graham's signature, including the likes of Derby County, Norwich City, Lincoln City, Charlton Athletic, Preston North End, and Portsmouth in England, whilst each of Lech Poznan, Jagiellonia Bialystok, Schalke, Valencia, Sturm Graz, and Red Bull Salzburg were also snooping around abroad.

Scottish giants Rangers were also said to be interested in bringing the talented youngster to Ibrox, as Portsmouth were reportedly the other club to push Stoke close to the defenders' services before he ultimately opted to head to the Potteries.

Luke Graham looks to be a steal at £2 million as Stoke City will be laughing

Upon his move to Stoke, Graham was instantly thrust into the starting XI for their Championship opener against Swansea, which they would lose 2-1, as the Scot would be dropped for the next two games against Southampton and Wolves.

Upon shifting to a back three formation, Graham was reintroduced into the side, playing on the left side of a back three containing the likes of Ben Wilmot, and either one of Maksym Talovierov, Bosun Lawal, or Ben Johnson.

After forcing his way back into the side, Graham has not looked back and has only gotten better, playing the full 90 minutes in every game since, earning his first senior cap for the Scotland national team, and netting his first goal for the Potters in a 1-0 away victory over Derby County, keeping a clean sheet to boot.

Stoke will be laughing at the mere £2 million fee they paid for Graham, as the clubs that missed out on his services as a result must be cringing now.

What have you made of Luke Graham so far? Will Rangers and Portsmouth be cringing at this transfer miss now? Share your thoughts below!

Rangers and Portsmouth must be cringing at missing out on Luke Graham after Stoke City displays

With Graham shining towards the top of the Championship, the likes of Rangers and Portsmouth must be pulling their hair out at this transfer miss, especially after his recent displays.

Rangers will be pleased with the likes of Ben Godfrey, Olwethu Makhanya, and Emmanuel Fernandez to pick from at the back, though missing out on one of the best Scottish talents to an English side must sting.

Portsmouth, meanwhile, were able to spend some money for a change, and eyed up Graham as one of their numerous seven-figure additions, and having lost out to him to a division rival, must be frustrated by his recent performances.

Both must be cringing, as Stoke will be laughing.