Transfer news: Championship rivals recall loanee amid reported Sunderland & Sheffield United striker interest
Sunderland have been linked with a move for Stoke City striker Tom Cannon in recent days
Stoke City have recalled teenage striker Nathan Lowe from a loan spell with League Two outfit Walsall amid reports of Sunderland interest in Potters centre-forward Tom Cannon.
Lowe registered 18 goals and assisted seven more across his 30 appearances for the Saddlers, and was named League Two Player of the Month for December. In a statement addressing his exit, the fourth tier leaders said: “Whilst we are disappointed to be losing his services, we are incredibly proud of the progress he has made during his time with us. “We will be watching Nathan’s career continue to develop with a keen eye and immense pride, and wish him all the very best in the next chapter of what will no doubt be a fantastic journey for him and his family.”
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Meanwhile, Cannon is facing an uncertain future at the bet365 Stadium, with renewed speculation about the prospect of him being recalled by parent club Leicester City ahead of a potential transfer to another Championship side. Both Sunderland and Sheffield United have been credited with interest, as have Sheffield Wednesday and Luton Town.
According to Alan Nixon, the Black Cats are planning to “gamble on a couple of expensive loan-to-buy swoops” this month as they look to enhance their promotion hopes over the second half of the campaign. At this stage, it is unclear whether Lowe’s return to Stoke has been at all influenced by the ongoing talk surrounding Cannon, who scored against Sunderland in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
Addressing the possibility of Lowe being recalled prior to the news being confirmed, Potters boss Mark Robins said: “He’s a young player and young players have to be given time. In time he will be a really good player and what he’s doing at the moment is giving himself every chance. He’s put himself in the shop window and made people sit up and take notice of him.
“He will end up with 20-plus goals this season if he remains at Walsall – we haven’t made that decision yet – and I also know it is doing him the world of good. Mat Sadler is desperate to keep him and I’m not in the market to upset people – but what matters to me is Stoke City and the individual.
“My first priority will be to assess whether it is right to bring him back at this stage and have him involved – not knowing 100 per cent what the impact will be but sometimes your hands are tied and you’re forced because of circumstances.
“He is certainly scoring goals at League Two level and when we spoke the other day I said the goals don’t move. If you’re hungry and you can get into good positions where the ball is going to find you… and we have to make sure we can do that and our team moves and evolves into a state when we can start to create chances on a regular basis that gives forwards the opportunities to stick the ball in the back of the net. In which case, we’ve got good players and players who can score.”