Nathan Lowe Joins Hibernian on Loan from Stoke City
Hibs have found their new battering ram up front – and they’ve gone to the English Championship to get him.
Nathan Lowe has joined Hibernian on a season-long loan from Stoke City, with head coach David Gray finally landing the “physical presence” and “natural goalscorer” he has been hunting all summer.
A striker on the rise
Lowe is only 20, but his CV already looks like that of a forward in a hurry. An England Under-19 international, he came through Stoke’s academy and has been pushed hard by the club, both in terms of game time and contract.
He made his senior debut in February 2023, then was rewarded less than a year later with a new four-and-a-half-year deal in January. As part of this Hibs move, Stoke have gone even further, tying him down with an extension through to 2029. They are not loaning out a fringe player; they are road‑testing a long-term asset.
His minutes in the Championship have been limited – eight starts and 21 substitute appearances, with two goals – but his reputation has been built away from the glare of the second tier.
Goals, numbers and a growing reputation
It was at Walsall in League Two that Lowe really announced himself. Across 30 appearances he hit 18 goals and laid on seven assists, carrying the kind of end product that instantly turns heads in recruitment departments. That form earned him the English League Two Young Player of the Year Award, a clear marker of where his trajectory is pointing.
Last season he split his time between two ambitious clubs in the lower leagues, starting with Stockport County before moving to Wycombe Wanderers in League One for the second half of the campaign. Between them, he scored 11 goals, adapting to different managers, styles and dressing rooms without losing his edge in front of goal.
Gray likes what he has seen. Speaking to the club’s website, the Hibs boss highlighted Lowe’s “great energy and enthusiasm” and stressed again that blend of physicality and penalty-box instinct. For a side that has often lacked a ruthless edge in tight games, those qualities matter.
Why Hibs, why now?
The move makes sense from Stoke’s side too. Sporting director Jonathan Walters underlined that Lowe has already benefitted from his spells in Leagues One and Two and praised the young striker’s desire to challenge himself in a new country.
Scotland offers something different. A new league, new opponents, new pressure. Hibs are also preparing for European football, and Walters pointed to that as a key part of the loan: exposure to continental competition, different rhythms, different demands. Stoke will be watching closely.
For Hibs, the appeal is obvious. A powerful 20-year-old with a proven scoring record in England’s lower leagues, hungry to prove he can translate that output to a higher level and a bigger stage. Gray has spoken of Lowe’s “good experience” despite his age, noting the “substantial amount of games at a competitive level” already under his belt.
Now comes the real test. Can that Walsall version of Nathan Lowe – the one who bullied defences and filled his boots – turn up in Edinburgh and do it in green and white, and under European lights?
