Stoke City 'need as much money as we can' - Mark Robins player exit tipped | OneFootball

FLW's Stoke City fan pundit feels that the new Squad Cost Ratio rules may lead the Potters to sell Nathan Lowe this summer

Nathan Lowe has endured a few stop-start years, and questions are being asked about whether his future lies at Stoke City or elsewhere.

The 20-year-old was arguably the brightest young prospect in the entire EFL a little under two years ago at Walsall, scoring 15 and assisting five in the first half of the League Two campaign, as Mat Sadler's side pulled clear atop the fourth tier.

Then, he was recalled back to the bet365 Stadium, but instead of being loaned back out to League One, he started in the Championship against West Brom, which ruled out any further moves that season, unless it was back to Walsall.

Despite scoring against the Baggies in a 1-1 draw, the young frontman soon fell out of favour under Mark Robins, and his red-hot start to the campaign was significantly cooled down. Nevertheless, all eyes were on what he could do in League One this past season.

After a poor loan spell at Stockport County, where he hardly fit into Dave Challinor's system, followed by an unproductive second half of the campaign at Wycombe Wanderers, where he was the sole striker, some Stoke fans have been left wondering if the 20-year-old even has what it takes to be the number nine at his parent club.

Stoke City fan pundit isn't against the idea of selling Nathan Lowe this summer

That being said, the beginning of that 2024/25 campaign at the Bescot Stadium is still in the memory, and seven goals in League One last season still have some clubs believing in Lowe's potential.

Stoke may incur a struggle with keeping him at the bet365 Stadium this summer, as teams in League One and Scotland are reportedly interested in purchasing him.

With that potential still untapped, a sale this summer paired with a healthy sell-on clause if the 20-year-old performs elsewhere could be a smart bit of business for Stoke, at least, that's what FLW's Potters' fan pundit, Ryan Breresford, thinks.

"I can't say he's shown a lot at Stoke. He has shown little bits, but has he shown enough to be Stoke's number one striker? I don't think he has," he admitted.

"Selling him with a big sell-on clause if he does something...we know what the rules are in the Championship, and with the new squad cost ratio rules coming in, we need as much money as we can.

"So, I'm not against selling him, as we could look to invest in someone better who better suits the Stoke style."

The new squad cost ratio rulings state that Championship clubs are tied to spending no more than 85% of their income on player and manager-related costs, whether that be transfer fees or wages, plus a limited amount of equity top-up allowance from owners.

Therefore, selling Lowe while his market price is still relatively high, despite a disappointing 18 months, could see the Potters bring in a decent fee for him, which could be used to upgrade and bring in someone better suited to benefiting Stoke now.

Stoke City could wait one extra year before letting go of Nathan Lowe if they can afford to

Even if there may be financial benefits this summer, a possible sale of Lowe in the upcoming months could leave Stoke with pie on their faces if he hits the ground running as he did at Walsall.

The striker is still only 20 years of age, so he has plenty of time to progress and improve. There's a reason why last season he ended up signing for the side who finished third in League One in 2024/25 and were heavily tipped to be among the promotion contenders that year, too, in Stockport.

His shortcomings at Edgeley Park weren't all entirely down to him, either, as the Hatters struggled to navigate their second season in League One, and he ended up being unfavoured and played in different positions during his time there.

At Wycombe, it was always going to be hard for a young striker to join a club mid-season and expect to hit the ground running, but he still showed glimpses, and four goals in 12 outings wasn't a terrible return, if not slightly underwhelming.

So, if Stoke can afford to be patient this coming summer, perhaps batting away transfer offers and instead giving him a year at a club where the system fits him best, and more importantly, keeping him there, could benefit them in the long run, whether that be at the bet365 Stadium or elsewhere by way of getting a better fee next year.