Stoke City chairman Peter Coates is hopeful of signing permanently Bruno Martins Indi.
Martins Indi has impressed alongside skipper Ryan Shawcross since joining on a season-long loan from FC Porto.
Coates told The Sentinel: “They are playing well together as a partnership and it's very encouraging.
“They have come up against some good opposition just lately, like Christian Benteke in the last game, and done very well.
“There is a view in football that the two most important positions are goalkeeper and striker - and I can understand that because they are pivotal at both ends of the pitch.
“But I remember getting a lesson some years ago from Mick Mills (Stoke City manager 1885-89) when he said football was about pairings throughout the team and all over the pitch. And yes, centre half is certainly key among those.
“My memory at Stoke just about stretches back to Neil Franklin, an exceptional player, one regarded by his generation in the same way that Bobby Moore was a generation later.
“Tom Finney once told me that Neil was the best defender he'd played against, by a mile, which is some testament to his ability. If Bruno turns out that good, it will be pretty impressive.
“But there's no doubt he and Ryan have struck up an excellent partnership and the team is unquestionably benefiting from that."
