Stoke City: West Brom clash could hand Walsall transfer boost | OneFootball

If Nathan Lowe features for the Potters on Saturday it could actually increase Walsall's chance of resigning him

Walsall were dealt a huge blow on Sunday when it was announced that on-loan striker Nathan Lowe had been recalled by parent club Stoke City after a prolific spell at the Bescot Stadium.

Lowe took League Two by storm, scoring 15 times in the league and 18 times in all competitions to help Walsall to build a comfortable lead at the top of the league and in prime position to win promotion to League One.

Given his goalscoring form with the Saddlers during the early months of the season, it's perhaps no surprise to see Stoke recall him this month, but manager Mat Sadler may not have lost all hope of him returning to the club just yet.

No doubt Sadler and Walsall supporters will be keeping a close eye on how he fares at Stoke, and they might just be hoping he's involved this weekend when the Potters travel to West Brom.

Stoke City could hand Walsall a transfer boost this weekend against West Brom

It remains to be seen whether Lowe has come back to Stoke to feature in Mark Robins' plans for the second half of the season, or whether he's been brought back to be sent on loan elsewhere.

However, Saturday's trip to The Hawthorns will give us a good indication of what Stoke plan to do with him, and if he features for the Potters, they may have handed Walsall a surprise boost.

Players are only eligible to play for two clubs each season, and if Lowe features for Stoke this weekend, it means that he can't be loaned out elsewhere, and it increases Walsall's chances of re-signing the 19-year-old.

Of course, most Walsall supporters will be resigned to the fact that Lowe was too good for League Two and that Stoke will be keen to see what he's capable of in the Championship, but stranger things have happened than him returning to the Bescot Stadium.

If Stoke strengthen their squad this month and Tom Cannon remains at the club, there's no reason why Robins wouldn't decide to send him back on loan to Walsall.

It may sound strange, but Lowe playing for Stoke this weekend could actually be a positive rather than a negative for Walsall, and it will mean that they are the only club he could be loaned to if that's what Stoke decided to do.

You'd have thought that Lowe would be involved in the matchday squad for the trip to West Brom, and Walsall should be hoping he gets on the pitch at some point before January is done.

Tom Cannon situation could see Stoke City keeping Nathan Lowe around

Stoke have a star loan striker of their own in the form of Tom Cannon, but at the time of writing, there is a battle for his services, and a recall clause that expires at midnight on Wednesday January 14, as per Alan Nixon.

If Cannon is recalled by Leicester City, potentially to be sold on to Sheffield United or Sunderland, then you'd think Lowe's chances of featuring for Stoke would increase, and the chances of him returning to Walsall would be slim, so they'll hope that Ruud van Nistelrooy opts to leave the 22-year-old where he is.

It's reported that Leicester have a Wednesday deadline to decide what to do with Cannon, but there is now less of an urgency to recall him and sell him after being handed a boost with no Profit and Sustainability (PSR) breach charge coming their way.

If Ireland international Cannon stays put at Stoke for the remainder of the season, Lowe may not feature all too often for Stoke, and they could be tempted to loan him out again to ensure they don't stunt his development ahead of what's set to be a breakthrough 2025/26 campaign.