Nathan Lowe may want Stoke City exit - Bolton, Wycombe & Stockport should be on red alert | OneFootball

Nathan Lowe is drifting down the pecking order at Stoke, and it appears that a loan to League One could be the right move for him.

Nathan Lowe enjoyed a breakout first season in the EFL last season, scoring 18 league goals plus seven assists in the first half of last campaign at Walsall.

That helped the Saddlers to a comfortable lead at the top of the fourth tier table, though their form collectively dropped off after Lowe was recalled by parent club Stoke City in January.

He struggled for regular Championship minutes at the Bet365 Stadium though, and only made ten appearances, scoring one goal, upon his return to the Potteries.

And, with Mark Robins' side having already been busy in the window via bringing in the likes of Divin Mubama on loan from Manchester City and 51-cap Slovakia international Robert Bozenik from Boavista, Lowe may well be falling even further down the pecking order in Staffordshire.

Therefore, FLW looks at three potential League One destinations for the 19-year-old striker:

Bolton Wanderers

Steven Schumacher is preparing for his first full campaign at the helm at the Toughsheet, and it's fair to say that their recruitment has been strong already. Offensively, the likes of Xavier Simons and Amario Cozier-Duberry could offer significant potency and creativity.

However, with Aaron Collins stepping down a division to sign for MK Dons, it's fair to say that Wanderers are going to need a central option to be the long-term replacement for Dion Charles, who signed for Huddersfield Town in January.

If Schumacher continues with the strike partnership that he used mostly towards the back end of last season, then it would be a tough decision for him to make. Given that the Trotters have already signed Sam Dalby from Wrexham, then it would probably be between two of the four strikers of Lowe, Dalby, John McAtee and Klaidi Lolos for a starting spot up front for Bolton next season.

Wycombe Wanderers

The Chairboys were first linked with a move for the England youth international in June, and Mike Dodds' side will be after reinforcements in the offensive half of the pitch after the departures of Sam Vokes and Brandon Hanlan to Gillingham and Stevenage respectively.

Having already brought in talented young attacking players from the continent, in the shape of Beerschot VA's Ewan Henderson and FC Basel's Bradley Fink, Wycombe may feel confident in being able to lure Lowe to Adams Park.

Lowe would significantly bolster Dodds' forward line options should he complete a move to Buckinghamshire, particularly with rumours continuing to circulate around the future of Richard Kone, with Celtic the latest club to show an interest.

Furthermore, Garath McCleary turns 39 this season and Wanderers can't rely on him to play 52 matches, as he did last season in all competitions, throughout the 25/26 season. Therefore, if they could get that deal over the line, there's every reason to believe that they can challenge for promotion again next season.

Stockport County

The Hatters, like Wycombe, were beaten play-off semi-finalists last campaign and will also want to go one better and make it over the finish line into the Championship.

In order to do that, Dave Challinor has opted for defensive reinforcements so far this summer, bringing in three defenders (Arttu Hoskonen, Tayo Edun and Joseph Olowu) on free transfers. Malik Mothersille has arrived for an undisclosed fee from Peterborough United, but Challinor will no doubt want a more potent attacking threat in order to avoid missing out on promotion again.

County have already lost Tanto Olaofe, who signed for play-off winners Charlton Athletic, so therefore a striker is necessary to accompany Kyle Wootton if Challinor opts to continue with his preferred 3-1-4-2 shape.

They know first-hand what sort of impact a loan signing can make as well, with Lowe's loan spell drawing similarities with Louie Barry's at Edgeley Park last season, as the ex-Barcelona man scored 15 goals in 23 League One appearances before he was recalled by Aston Villa in January.