Stoke City chief Tony Scholes says they'll continue to work the loan market.
Hughes is expected to carry on using the loan market to bolster his first-team squad.
"Loan players can work for different reasons," Scholes told The Sentinel.
"Stephen Ireland obviously worked out extremely well for us and that one was almost a bonus really at the end of last summer's transfer window.
"It was an opportunity that became available which arguably hadn't been available and Stephen came in and had a great season.
"Ossie, again, was a great loan and it really worked out well for us.
"He took a bit of time to make his decision because he had a number of opportunities, but he came in and it worked for him, it worked for us and arguably worked well for Liverpool too.
"There are different scenarios as to how loans work out and if we could get one on the right terms then it is certainly an area we would look at."
