And, even though they were the clear favorites in League Two, Walsall might have simply been the victim of one of those situations.
Or at least that’s what many would have thought when it was announced on Sunday night that Nathan Lowe, a star striker and Stoke City loanee, would have his time at the Poundland Bescot Stadium cut short. This came just days after Mark Robins, the new Potters manager, said he was still “undecided” about the 19-year-old’s current situation.
The Staffordshire team has not finished better than 14th since its Premier League debacle, and Robins will be hoping to change the tide and replicate his previous success with Coventry City. Stoke’s stagnation in the Championship over the last six and a half years has been widely reported.
This is true even though they have made a number of high-profile additions under a variety of managers and have a number of highly regarded young players who could eventually make the move to the Bet365 Stadium first team.
Both Lowe and Tom Cannon, a current Leicester City loanee, undoubtedly fit into one of those groups. However, Saddlers supporters will be even more irate with Stoke’s decision to recall their academy graduate if the Foxes loanee stays with the team 35 miles up the M6, as Ruud Van Nistelrooy recently admitted.
Nathan Lowe enjoyed a scintillating loan spell with Walsall
Given that Lowe was given a four-and-a-half-year deal in January of last year, eleven months after making his Championship debut under Alex Neil in February 2023, it is evident how highly regarded he is in the Potteries.
Lowe’s potential was further demonstrated by his 13 appearances, three starts, and one goal—a late-game winner against Bristol City in a thrilling 3-2 victory—but it was obvious that a loan move would only further his growth, as Potters Sporting Director Jon Walters reflected after the second-tier team and Walsall reached an agreement in late August.
“Nathan is a player of significant promise, and we are fully invested as a Club in managing his pathway as effectively as we can to ensure that he maximises his potential,” he said. Lowe set the tone for his loan stint by scoring two goals in a thrilling comeback victory against League One team, Huddersfield Town, in the EFL Cup Second Round, showcasing both his present and future potential.
Read more news:https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply